Penguins 6, Senators 5
PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby scored three consecutive goals to extend his recent scoring surge and rally the Pittsburgh Penguins to their fourth consecutive victory, 6-5 over the slumping Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Crosby's natural hat trick was the ninth three-goal game of his career, gave him at least one goal in eight consecutive games at Consol Energy Center and assured him of his ninth 20-goal season in his 11 NHL seasons.
The Penguins took 44 shots against Senators goalie Craig Anderson in winning their fifth in six games, a turnaround under new coach Mike Sullivan that coincides with scoring upticks by Crosby, whose production was well below his career norms early in the season.
Center Evgeni Malkin had two assists, defenseman Kris Letang added a goal and an assist, left winger Chris Kunitz returned from a two-game injury layoff with a goal and two assists, and center Matt Cullen scored as the Penguins -- one of the league's lowest-scoring teams for much of the season -- scored at least four goals for the fifth time in seven games. Crosby had a four-point night.
Crosby, who has 14 goals in his last 16 games, scored the final two goals of the second period after Ottawa rallied to go ahead 4-3. Crosby finished off his hat trick by scoring at 6:40 of the third, giving him 12 goals in his last eight home games.
The Senators, losing their fourth in five games to fall five points behind Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference playoff race, cut it to 6-5 on left winger Dave Dziurzynski's first goal since Feb. 25, 2013 at 15:50, but couldn't tie it as center Mike Hoffman twice put shots off the crossbar. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury kissed the crossbar following a stoppage in play after Hoffman again hit the bar with seconds remaining.
The Penguins, streaking when the NHL All-Star break arrived last week, quickly opened leads of 2-0 and 3-1 against the Senators -- losers of 11 of their previous 17 -- and looked to be en route to an easy win against an opponent that was 1-4 in Pittsburgh since 2012.
It was anything but.
The Senators overcame an early goal and an assist by Kunitz and Anderson's shaky early play to score three goals in a span of 3:56 -- two only 24 seconds apart early in the second period -- to take a 4-3 lead.
Defenseman Chris Wideman's seemingly harmless wrist shot from above the right circle with 31 seconds left in the first period eluded Fleury by flying under the crossbar, cutting it to 3-2.
Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau pushed defenseman Erik Karlsson's shot across the goal line with the teams skating 4-on-4 at 3:01 of the second -- his 12th goal. Defenseman Cody Ceci gave Ottawa its first lead by poking in left winger Zach Smith's shot amid a flurry in front of the net at 3:25.
Anderson couldn't make the lead hold up as Crosby continued his home-ice scoring streak.
Crosby's one-timer from the right circle eluded Anderson with the Penguins on their first power play of the game at 6:10 -- making it eight consecutive games at Consol Energy Center in which Crosby has scored a goal.
Crosby gave the lead back to Pittsburgh at 5-4 off a rebound of Phil Kessel's shot from the right circle at 16:45 of the second. Crosby also assisted on Letang's seventh goal, in the first period.
Senators right winger Mark Stone scored Ottawa's first goal and also assisted on Wideman's tally. Cullen, dropped from the first line to the fourth with Kunitz's return, also scored in the first for the Penguins.
NOTES: Pittsburgh Penguins LW Chris Kunitz returned after missing two games before the All-Star break with an apparent back injury. Kunitz returned to the top line with C Sidney Crosby and RW Patric Hornqvist. ... Ottawa Senators D Marc Methot sat out a sixth consecutive game with an undisclosed injury. He last played Jan. 16. ... The Penguins' postponed Jan. 24 game at Washington (snow) was rescheduled for March 1. ... Penguins RW/LW Beau Bennett (right shoulder) still is not ready to play. He aggravated the injury Jan. 23. ... Pittsburgh recalled LW Conor Sheary and LW Scott Wilson from its Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) farm club. ... Ottawa scratched Methot and C Kyle Turris. ... The Penguins held out D Ian Cole, LW Sergei Plotnikov and Sheary. ... The teams hadn't played since a 2-0 Penguins victory at Pittsburgh on Oct. 15.