Pens End Slide With 4-1 Win Over Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. (KDKA/AP) -- After dropping six games in a row, the Penguins turned things around, beating the Florida Panthers, 4-1 Friday night.
Steve Sullivan, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy and James Neal each netted goals.
Marc-Andre Fleury had 25 saves. Michal Repik's third-period goal deprived him of a shutout.
Arron Asham and Krys Barch dropped gloves in the first period.
Florida's Scott Clemmensen stopped 37 shots.
After a scoreless opening period in which Pittsburgh had an 18-6 advantage on shots, the Penguins took a 1-0 lead on Sullivan's goal at 1:49 of the second.
Clemmensen attempted to bring the puck out from behind the net, but it slipped away from him and out to Matt Cooke below the right circle. He passed to Sullivan in the low slot, and Sullivan easily got the puck past Clemmensen trying to get back in position.
Malkin made it 2-0 with an unassisted score with 35 seconds to go in the period. Malkin brought the puck along the boards and shot from low in the left circle.
His shot was blocked by Clemmensen and bounced off the end boards. Malkin grabbed the rebound and fired a backhanded shot that glanced off Clemmensen and into the net for his 18th goal of the season.
Kennedy stretched the lead 36 seconds into the third as the Penguins came down the ice with a 3-on-2 advantage and his wrist shot whistled past Clemmensen on the glove side.
Repik got the Panthers on the board at 6:55 of the final period, tipping in Jason Garrison's shot from just inside the blue line.
Neal closed the scoring with 4:17 to go, sending a shot from the left circle past Clemmensen for his team-leading 22nd goal of the season.
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