Sidney Crosby posted two goals and one assist to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to their fourth straight win, a 5-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.
The Penguins, who have won their past three road games, also got a goal and an assist from Rickard Rakell plus a goal apiece from Ben Kindel and Connor Dewar.
Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin added two assists each, and Tristan Jarry made 34 saves to earn the win.
The Panthers, who are the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions, lost for the first time at home this season (3-1-0) but are 1-5-0 in their past six games overall.
Brad Marchand scored twice for Florida. Sam Reinhart added a goal, and Mackie Samoskevich notched two primary assists. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 11 saves.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring 6:24 into the first period. Following a tripping penalty on Florida’s Jeff Petry, Bobrovsky made a stop. In the ensuing scramble, Bobrovsky had his back turned to Crosby, who scored from the left circle.
It was the first power-play goal allowed at home by the Panthers this season.
Pittsburgh made it 2-0 at 6:36 of the second after Karlsson’s initial shot from the point was stopped by Bobrovsky. This time, Rakell poked in the spinning puck before Bobrovsky could extend his right leg. Crosby earned a secondary assist.
Florida got on the board just less than two minutes later. Following a hooking penalty on Connor Clifton, the Panthers scored just 18 seconds later on the goal by Marchand. Samoskevich did the heavy lifting, first stealing the puck and then threading the puck past two defenders and onto Marchand’s stick for a tap-in goal.
The Penguins then went nine minutes without a shot on goal. Despite that, it was Pittsburgh that got the next goal as Tommy Novak and Kindel executed a perfect give-and-go play. Kindel scored from the left circle with 4:36 left in the second.
Florida closed the deficit to 3-2 with 17:36 left in the third on Reinhart’s power-play goal from just inside the near post.
The Penguins got that goal back two minutes later on Dewar’s goal that trickled in off Bobrovsky’s stick.
Marchand, on a sweet forehand-to-backhand move, scored with 8:54 remaining to pull Florida within 4-3.
Pittsburgh responded just 43 seconds later on Crosby’s power-play goal off Bobrovsky’s glove.
–Field Level Media
