Crosby and Malkin lift Penguins to 5-2 win over Red Wings
DETROIT (AP) - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored goals 34 seconds apart in the third period to help lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
The Penguins have a five-game unbeaten streak at Joe Louis Arena, going 3-0-2 in that span.
Crosby got a nice pass right in front of the net from David Perron and beat Detroit goaltender Petr Mrazek at 7:48 of the third, snapping a 2-2 tie.
Crosby has three goals and five assists in his last six games.
Malkin quickly made it a two-goal lead, scoring his 18th of the season at 8:22.
Justin Abdelkader kicked off the scoring, collecting a rebound of Dylan Larkin's wraparound attempt and beating Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff at 6:47 of the first period. Abdelkader is tied for second on the Wings with Gustav Nyquist with 12 goals. Larkin has 13.
From nearly the same spot at the left side of the net, Detroit defenseman Brendan Smith rebounded Gustav Nyquist's shot to make it 2-0 at 12:15.
The Penguins responded in the second period with two power-play goals.
Mrazek made the initial save on Patric Hornqvist's shot but the puck landed in the crease and Mrazek's right skate pushed it into the net 46 seconds into the period.
At 11:49 of the second, Kris Letang got the Penguins' second power-play goal, beating Mrazek with a shot from the right circle.
It was Letang's first goal since Oct. 13 against Montreal, snapping a 24-game drought.
It's the first time this season that the Penguins have scored two power-play goals on the road.
Letang scored an empty-net goal with 1:40 remaining in the game.
NOTES: Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson returned to the lineup after missing five games with an upper-body injury. . Forward Darren Helm played in his 400th career game. . Tomas Jurco played just five shifts for 4:09 in the first period, leaving with an upper-body injury. ... Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury missed his eighth game with a concussion. . The Penguins sent defenseman Adam Clendening to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a conditioning assignment.