Penguins Win 5th Straight In 5-1 Victory Over Avalanche
DENVER (KDKA/AP) -- The Penguins headed into Colorado looking to keep their winning streak alive before heading back to Pittsburgh for four straight home games at the CONSOL Energy Center.
Thanks to goals from Arron Asham and Deryk Engelland, the Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and cruised the rest of the way to a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night.
Evgeni Malkin and Richard Park added goals in the second, and Steve Sullivan had an assist and later scored into an empty net as the game was winding down to seal the win.
Both Brooks Orpik and Paul Martin chipped in with two assists each. Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves for the Penguins.
Matt Hunwick scored the Avs only goal, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere had 23 saves in the loss.
- More: Game Boxscore & Stats
- Photo Gallery: Pens Vs. Avs
Asham opened the scoring for the Penguins with his third goal of the season. He took a drop pass from Craig Adams, glided to the right circle and beat Giguere on the short side with 7:55 left in the first.
Engelland made it 2-0 when he deflected Jordan Staal's centering pass over Giguere's right shoulder 1:22 after Asham scored. It was Engelland's fifth goal.
Malkin made it 3-0 when he scored his 38th goal on a rebound early in the second period. The goal extended his points streak to seven games.
Park added to Colorado's misfortune when he stepped out of the penalty box, picked up a loose puck at center ice and beat Giguere on a breakaway midway through the second frame.
Colorado got scrappy after falling behind. Giguere got into a shoving match with Matt Cooke in second, and in the third Steve Downie took exception to Fleury's stickwork and started a scrum near the Penguins' net.
Heading into the third, Fleury was trying to break a tie with Tom Barrasso for the franchise record for career shutouts, but Hunwick ended Fleury's bid for No. 23, scoring off a rebound with 11:02 left.
Sullivan scored his empty-net goal late in the third to complete the rout.
With the win, the Penguins have now stretched their winning streak to a season-high five games.
The Penguins now head back to Pittsburgh for a four-game homestand starting Monday night against the Phoenix Coyotes.
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