Penguins 4, Avalanche 3
PITTSBURGH -- Left winger David Perron, center Evgeni Malkin and left winger Chris Kunitz scored in a span of 2:08 in the second period and center Sidney Crosby added a goal in the third to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Thursday night.
It was the second win in a row for Pittsburgh, which has struggled to score but has four goals in each of the two wins.
Colorado center Matt Duchesne scored late in the first period and defenseman Tyson Barrie scored his first of the season on a knuckling shot from the top of the slot at 8:49 of the third period to bring the Avalanche to within 3-2.
Crosby, though, ended a two-game point drought and a six-game goal drought when scored at 11:56 of the third period to restore Pittsburgh's two-goal lead, 4-2. Crosby split Avalanche defensemen Nick Holden and Barrie while taking a short pass-ahead from left winger Pascal Dupuis, moved in and scored on a backhander between the pads of goaltender Reto Berra.
That rendered Duchesne's second goal of the game, with 1:23 left in regulation, too little, too late.
Colorado is 3-2 five games into a seven-game, 15-day road trip.
The Penguins are 7-2 in their past eight games against the Avalanche and have won five of the teams' past six meetings in Pittsburgh.
NOTES: Colorado captain and LW Gabriel Landeskog returned after serving a two-game suspension for a check to the head of Boston's Brad Marchand. ... C Ben Street (chest injury) returned to Denver and might require surgery. ... Colorado G Semyon Varlamov remains out because of a groin injury. The Avalanche scratched D Nate Guenin and C John Mitchell (oblique injury). ... With D Olli Maatta out three to four weeks because of an upper-body injury, Pittsburgh recalled D David Warsofsky. However, Warsofsky was scratched in favor of D Adam Clendening, who played in his second game in a row but just his third this season. LW Daniel Sprong was the other scratch. ... Penguins coach Mike Johnston moved stay-at-home D Rob Scuderi to the top pairing with D Kris Letang. Scuderi missed Tuesday's game because of illness. ... C Nick Bonino returned to the Pittsburgh lineup after missing a game because of an undisclosed injury. ... Maatta, who left Tuesday's game after being pushed into the open door of Minnesota's bench and spent a night in a hospital, was at Consol Energy Center in the morning.