CROSBY BATS IN OVERTIME GOAL; PENS BEAT DEVILS

N.J.» Sidney Crosby batted NEWARK, his own rebound out of the air and into the net 19 seconds into overtime as the Penguins defeated the Devils 4-3 on Thursday night, denying New Jersey a sweep of their fourgame season series.

Kris Letang stole Taylor Hall’s pass in the opening seconds in the Pittsburgh zone and sent Crosby on a semi-break the other way. His initial shot hit the goalpost, but then the star center pulled his hands in and swatted the puck out of the air — a fitting move on the opening day of baseball season. Crosby extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, including a similar goal against Montreal last Wednesday in which Crosby juggled the puck once on his stick before smacking it from just below shoulder height.

Conor Sheary, Letang and Patric Hornqvist also scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray made 28 saves.

Kyle Palmieri, Hall and Blake Coleman scored for the Devils, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Keith Kinkaid had 31 saves in losing for only the fourth time in his last 16 decisions (12-3-1).

THURSDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists as the Bruins took over first place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 win over the Lightning. … Anthony Mantha scored his team-leading 24th goal as the Red Wings snapped an 11-game road losing streak by beating the NHL’s last-place Sabres 6-3. … Emergency goaltender Scott Foster played the final 14 minutes after Chicago lost Anton Forsberg and Collin Delia to injuries, closing out the Blackhawks’ 6-2 victory over the Jets. … Matt Dumba scored on a power play and had two assists in Minnesota’s three-goal second period, and the Wild moved a step closer to a spot in the playoffs with a 5-2 victory over the fading Stars. … Ryan Ellis scored the go-ahead goal with 9:54 left and the Predators beat the Sharks 5-3 to set a franchise record with 111 points this season. … Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored on a penalty shot in overtime, lifting the Senators over the Panthers 3-2. … Pierre-Luc Dubois scored three goals and the Blue Jackets beat the Flames 5-1.

FOOTNOTE Kings sign Brickley.

The Kings agreed to contract terms with coveted free-agent defenseman Daniel Brickley. They will introduce Brickley at a news conference Friday in Salt Lake City, Brickley’s hometown.