Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Sidney Crosby scored his fifth goal of the
season and Marc-Andre Fleury was stellar between the pipes as the Pittsburgh
Penguins blanked the Nashville Predators, 3-0, on Saturday.
Crosby’s first-period tally was all Pittsburgh needed, as Fleury turned away
all 25 shots he faced. Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis scored insurance goals
for the Penguins, who ended a brief two-game slide.
Pekka Rinne allowed all three goals on 26 shots as Nashville fell in
regulation for the first time this season.
Nashville controlled the early portion of the game, holding Pittsburgh without
a shot for the first six minutes of the game. The tone changed when Crosby
found a loose puck in front of Rinne at 6:21 and took two slaps at it,
eventually forcing it into the back of the net.
After an uneventful second period, Pittsburgh tacked on two more goals early
in the third. Malkin made an unbelievable individual effort after receiving a
short pass from Fleury, weaving in between defenders before firing a no-look
pass to Crosby at the blue line. Crosby slid a pass back to Malkin, who tapped
in his third goal of the year.
Three minutes later, Crosby found Steve Downie in front of the net. Rinne
stoned him, but Dupuis converted the rebound.
Game Notes
Crosby had a goal and two assists. This is his third three-point game of the
season … Pittsburgh won 25-of-43 face offs.
