Pens tame Panthers
PITTSBURGH — These Pittsburgh Penguins must be for real. They're even beating the Florida Panthers.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots, and the Penguins ended a nearly five-year home losing streak against the Panthers by winning 3-0 Tuesday night.
And they did it without any goals from Sidney Crosby or Mark Recchi.
Michel Ouellet, Dominic Moore and Ryan Whitney scored as Pittsburgh won its fourth in a row and sixth in seventh games. Crosby and Recchi combined for eight goals and 19 points in three games, with Recchi getting six goals and 10 points before being shut out by Florida.
"We got some big saves, especially in the third when they were pressing pretty hard," Crosby said, pointing to Florida's 13-4 shots advantage during the final period. "That's what your goalie needs to do, buy you time and make it tough on teams to get back when you have a lead."
Crosby did extend his point streak to seven games (4 goals, 10 assists) by helping set up Whitney's ninth goal of the season. The power-play goal came midway through the second period after Florida held off Pittsburgh during a pair of 5-on-3 advantages that lasted two minutes. Crosby has an NHL-leading 79 points in 46 games.
Fleury got his third shutout of the season and fifth of his career, and against an opponent that had won seven in a row in Pittsburgh since March 5, 2002. The Panthers had won 14 of 15 overall against Pittsburgh.
