Crosby, Malkin help Penguins snap Rangers' winning streak
Tue, Dec 20, 2022
NHL News (AP)
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust each scored a power-play goal as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Tuesday night to stop their seven-game winning streak.
It was the first meeting between the division rivals since their first-round playoff series last season. New York rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Pittsburgh, winning Game 7 at home in overtime.
Sidney Crosby scored his 18th goal and had an assist for the surging Penguins, who have won eight of nine. Pittsburgh is 15-3-2 in its last 20 games overall.
Tristan Jarry made 26 saves and extended his winning streak to seven. He also has a career-best 13-game point streak, tied for fourth-longest in team history.
Chris Kreider scored twice for the Rangers, who lost for the third time in 11 games. Igor Shesterkin stopped 21 shots but lost on the road in regulation for the first time this season.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, LIGHTNING 1
TORONTO (AP) - Auston Matthews scored a power-play goal early in the second period and Toronto snapped Tampa Bay's five-game winning streak.
Michael Bunting, Pierre Engvall and William Nylander also scored for the Maple Leafs. Matt Murray made 18 saves. Engvall and Nylander, who added assists, scored into an empty net late.
Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Lightning, who lost in regulation for just the fourth time in their last 17 games (13-4-0). Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 36 shots.
In last season's first-round playoff series, Toronto led the Lightning 3-2 before Tampa Bay won Game 6 in double overtime at home and eventually took the series.
HURRICANES 4, DEVILS 1
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 20 seconds into the game and rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped the first 35 shots he faced as Carolina beat New Jersey.
Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen also scored for the Hurricanes, who have a 12-game point streak and moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of the skidding Devils. Jaccob Slavin had two assists.
Kochetkov made 37 saves overall, including a stop on Jesper Bratt's breakaway late in the second period.
The Devils dropped their sixth straight. New Jersey lost only four times through the end of November - a span of 23 games.
Jack Hughes scored with 4:36 remaining as the Devils avoided their first shutout of the season. Vitek Vanecek stopped 10 of 13 shots in two periods before being pulled in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood.
FLYERS 5, BLUE JACKETS 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett both scored twice, Carter Hart made 30 saves and Philadelphia topped Columbus in a game between teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Morgan Frost also scored for the Flyers, and Cam York had two assists.
Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson and Andrew Peeke scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost five straight and eight of 10. Daniil Tarasov stopped 34 shots in his fifth consecutive defeat.
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