Malkin's 3 Goals Lift Pens Over Atlanta
ATLANTA (KDKA/AP) - Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby provided the offense as the Penguins won their second straight game, beating the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2 Saturday night.
Malkin had three goals and one assist, while fellow superstar Crosby added a goal and two assists.
Also, after stopping 15 shots Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning for his 150th victory and first win in regulation this season, Pens' goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves to win his second consecutive start.
Thrashers' goalie Ondrej Pavelec dropped to 0-5 against the Penguins. He stopped 24 of 27 shots in the loss.
The Thrashers took a 1-0 lead when defenseman Brent Sopel scored his first goal of the season in the first period.
But Malkin tied it up when he scored 13:22 into the second period. Arron Asham and Kris Letang assisted on the goal, a wrister that Malkin took from the bottom of the right circle.
Crosby put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 in the third period when he redirected a shot from Deryk Engelland. It was Crosby's 12th goal of the season.
Malkin's second goal of the night came on a power play in the third period. He made it 3-1 when he tapped in his own rebound with 15:18 left to play.
But the Penguins lead was cut when Niclas Bergfors scored his fifth goal of the season to bring the Thrashers within one. Bergfors tapped in the puck from the left side of the crease after receiving Evander Kane's backhand pass from the rear boards.
It was Malkin who finished off Atlanta though when he scored his seventh goal of the season into an empty net to complete a hat trick.
Crosby has 28 points, including eight goals, in 19 games against the Thrashers. Malkin has 27 points, including nine goals, in 17 games.
The Penguins return home to Pittsburgh now for a game Monday at 7 p.m. against the New York Rangers.
