Sens Score 5 Goals In 2nd Period, Beat Pens 6-4
OTTAWA (KDKA/AP) -- It was another tough night for the Penguins as the Ottawa Senators chased back-up goalie Brent Johnson from the net after two periods on their way to a 6-4 victory Friday night.
Jason Spezza had two goals and two assists, and Jared Cowen had four points for the Senators as well. Also, Daniel Alfredsson scored his 398th NHL goal and added two assists, and Erik Karlsson also had three points.
Colin Greening scored 25 seconds into the second, and Zenon Konopka netted Ottawa's fifth goal of the period with 5.7 seconds left, increasing the Senators' lead to 5-3 just 4 seconds into a power play.
Karlsson recorded his 100th point with his third assist of the period on Konopka's goal.
The Penguins' Steve Sullivan had a goal and two assists as the teams combined for eight goals in the middle period after a scoreless first. Matt Niskanen and Evgeni Malkin scored power-play goals 1:07 apart to draw the Penguins even at 3.
Chris Kunitz scored with 1:02 left in the third.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby missed his fourth straight game because of a recurrence of concussion-like symptoms. He is out indefinitely, and the Penguins are 1-3 since he was sidelined again.
Alex Auld stopped 32 shots for Ottawa in a matchup of backup goalies.
Johnson made 14 saves through the first two periods and then was replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury, who allowed Spezza's second goal of the game 12:23 into the third. Fleury finished with four saves.
Cowen scored the seventh goal of the second, 13:20 into the period, to put Ottawa up 4-3.
Konopka made it a two-goal lead with his third goal, scoring off the faceoff after Alexandre Picard's high-sticking penalty with 10 seconds left.
Sullivan drew Pittsburgh even at 1 with his sixth goal at 1:35.
Spezza scored his 11th to give Ottawa a 2-1 lead as the teams combined for three goals in the first 2:04.
Alfredsson made it 3-1 at 6:45 when he scored for the second game in a row.
The Penguins needed a total of 15 seconds of power-play time to get even.
Niskanen made it 3-2 at 11:07 with a slap shot past Auld from the left point 7 seconds after Chris Neil was called for hooking.
Malkin needed 8 seconds after Alfredsson was sent off for high-sticking to convert the Penguins' next opportunity with the man advantage at 12:14.
The Pens don't have much time to think about the loss. They return home to the CONSOL Energy Center for a game Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m.
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