Crosby’s big game lifts Pens
Sidney Crosby returned from an upper-body injury to pick up a goal and two assists and the Penguins drilled the Dallas Stars, 5-1, last night in Pittsburgh.
The captain missed three games after getting hurt last week, the latest setback during a forgettable early opening quarter of the season for the perennial Stanley Cup contenders.
Crosby provided Pittsburgh with a needed spark. He set up Jake Guentzel for a goal less than four minutes into the game and provided a highlight-reel marker later in the opening period when he raced to the net and smacked in a rebound past Anton Khudobin to give Pittsburgh a three-goal lead.
Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist and Tanner Pearson scored for the Pens.
Sabres 5, Flyers 2 — Evan Rodrigues had a goal and an assist in a four-goal first period, and host Buffalo extended its NHL-best winning streak to seven games by routing Philadelphia.
It is Buffalo’s longest run since taking 10 games in a row to open 2006-07.
Devils 5, Canadiens 2 — In Newark, N.J., Pavel Zacha scored twice, Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, and New Jersey beat Montreal.
The teams were tied 1-1 in the first period before the Devils scored four straight. Rangers 5, Islanders 0 — Alexandar Georgiev stopped 29 shots for his first career shutout, Filip Chytil scored for the fifth straight game, and the host Rangers blanked the Isles.
Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist, and Cody McLeod, Neal Pionk and Kevin Hayes also scored to help the Rangers win for the ninth time in 11 games (9-1-1). Kevin Shattenkirk and Mika Zibanejad each added two assists in the Rangers’ seventh straight win at home, now by a combined 26-10 margin.
Wild 6, Senators 4 — In St. Paul, Minn., Eric Staal scored his second goal of the game with 5:58 left and Minnesota overcame a sloppy third period to sneak past Ottawa.
Matt Dumba also scored twice as the Wild ended a two-game slide and won for the 12th time in 17 games. Capitals 4, Blackhawks 2 — Tom Wilson, Andre Burakovsky and Michal Kempny scored to give host Washington an early lead in a win against Chicago.
Devante Smith-Pelly also scored for the Caps, who won their third straight. Lightning 7, Panthers 3 — Steven Stamkos had a goal and three assists and host Tampa Bay reclaimed the top spot in the East by crushing Florida.
Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck had surgery for a fractured ankle and might play again this season. Elsewhere in the NHL — The league fined Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen for embellishment. Rantanen was docked $2,000 under the league’s program designed to discourage diving and embellishment.