Penguins 4, Wild 3
PITTSBURGH -- Center Evgeni Malkin, a game after calling for improved play from his team, stepped up to heed his own words. He had two goals and two assists to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Tuesday night at Consol Energy Center.
The Penguins, coming off of two losses in a row, also got goals from left winger David Perron and right winger Beau Bennett. Minnesota, which lost regulation for the first time in five games, got goals from centers Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
It was just the third time the Penguins reached the four-goal level this season.
Minnesota came back from a 4-1 deficit and closed to within a goal during a five-on-three power play at 2:24 of the third period when Koivu scored on a one-timer from between the hash marks with left winger Thomas Vanek providing a screen. But Pittsburgh held on.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring when Perron, from near the left post, slid a rebound of a shot by Malkin behind goaltender Devan Dubnyk 1:12 into regulation.
Granlund tied it 1-1 at 12:57 of the first period when right winger Jason Pominville, in the left corner, fed him for a snap shot that sailed past the blocker of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Penguins, whose power play had been 0-for-13 over their previous three games and ranked last in the NHL coming into the game with a 12.3 percent success rate, got one shot and some boos from the home crowd on their first power play of this game. On their second, though, Malkin, from the right wall, set up Bennett in the near circle for a go-ahead goal, 2-1, at 17:01 of the first period.
Pittsburgh got another power-play goal at 8:15 of the second period for a 3-1 lead when Malkin whipped a shot from the top of the right circle just inside the near post. The goal withstood a review to see if right winger Patric Hornqvist had interfered with Dubnyk. It was the 100th power-play goal of Malkin's career.
Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta left the game after being hit into the boards in front of the Minnesota bench by Wild right winger Nino Niederreiter at 10:09 of the second period.
There was no immediate word on his status and no penalty on the play.
Malkin struck again at 11:11 of the second period for a 4-1 Pittsburgh lead. Right winger Phil Kessel pulled up along the left half-wall and fed Malkin, who pulled the puck between his legs as he moved down the slot, lifted a shot inside the right post.
A slap shot by Spurgeon gave the Wild a power-play goal at 16:23 of the second period and pulled the team within 4-2.
NOTES: Minnesota C Erik Haula is ill and did not travel with the club to Pittsburgh. Coach Mike Yeo said Haula's status for the fourth and final game of the road trip, Thursday at Boston, is unclear. Yeo said the Wild did not want Haula potentially spreading his illness by being around his teammates. ... The Wild also scratched D Christian Folin. ... LW Michael Keranen became the third player in Minnesota's past five games to make his NHL debut. ... Three Pittsburgh forwards who missed practice Monday -- RWs Patric Hornqvist and Daniel Sprong and C Matt Cullen -- played. Sprong and Cullen were ill Monday. Hornqvist left Saturday's game at New Jersey because of an undisclosed injury. D Rob Scuderi and C Nick Bonino, who also missed practice Monday, were scratched in favor of D Adam Clendening, who played in just his second game of the season, and LW Sergei Plotnikov.