Wild hand Pens first regulation loss at home
PITTSBURGH -- Eric Staal scored early in the third period, Devan Dubnyk turned aside 39 shots and the Minnesota Wild dealt the Pittsburgh Penguins their first loss at home in regulation this season, winning 4-2 Thursday night.
Staal had a hand -- and a stick -- in three of Minnesota's four goals as a lineup infused with several minor-league call-ups dropped Pittsburgh's home-ice record to 6-1-1. The Stanley Cup champion Penguins were 35-6-4 in their previous 45 home games.
Sidney Crosby scored his ninth goal in eight games as the Penguins converted on their first two power-play chances, but were denied on their last two -- the second coming midway through the third period.
Not long after the Penguins killed off a 5-on-3 that lasted the first 45 seconds of 1:31 of power-play time to start the third period, Staal skated around the side of the net, clearly tripping Penguins defenseman Kris Letang to free up more ice, then put a Charlie Coyle rebound past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury, now 19-4-2 in his last 25 starts at home, made 40 saves, but couldn't prevent Staal's 22nd goal in 50 career games against Pittsburgh.
The Wild, who added a late empty-net goal by Jason Pominville, were more productive offensively after being limited to one goal while dropping their previous two games.
There was no comeback this time for the Penguins (9-3-2), who've rallied four times from multi-goal deficits already this season.
Phil Kessel set up Crosby and Patric Hornqvist for goals on Pittsburgh's first two power-play attempts. Minnesota had allowed only three power-play goals all season, but the Wild answered each time.
Crosby didn't register a point for the first time all season as the Penguins rallied to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Tuesday, but his perfect deflection of Kessel's shot from the left point eluded goalie Devan Dubnyk 7:53 into the first period.
A delay-of-game penalty on Penguins defenseman Trevor Daley put the Wild on the power play late in the period, and Charlie Coyle tipped a Ryan Suter shot past Fleury at 18:09 following nearly 90 continuous seconds of Wild offensive zone time.
Hornqvist restored Pittsburgh's lead at 7:33 of the second, dangling the puck on his stick in the right circle before putting in a bad-angle shot that deflected off Suter, giving him his fifth of the season.
But Minnesota answered only 1:34 later, when Staal's excellent pass set up Nino Niederreiter for his third of the season and the game's first even-strength goal.
NOTES: Marc-Andre Fleury started in goal for Pittsburgh after Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray started and won the previous two games. Fleury was 6-2-2 in his first 10 games. ... The Wild played the first of 10 games in 17 days after not playing since Saturday. ... C Erik Haula returned to the Wild lineup after missing seven games with a lower-body injury. ... RW Zack Mitchell, a 23-year-old forward signed by the Wild nearly three years ago, played in his first NHL game. He was called up after scoring one goal in farm club Iowa's first 11 games. Rookie D Mike Reilly also was in the lineup. ... The Penguins scratched LW Tom Kuhnhackl, D Steve Oleksy and LW Tom Sestito.