Finishing kick
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins appear to be getting healthy at just the right time.
James Neal scored three goals in his first game back from a concussion and the Penguins snapped a two-game skid with an 8-3 victory over Jordan Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
“It was nice to get out there and get a game in before the playoffs,” Neal said. “I wasn’t rushing anything. If I felt good then I’d play, and I felt ready.”
Evgeni Malkin looked ready too. Malkin had a goal and two assists for the Penguins, who scored three third-period goals in 5:24 to turn a tie game into a rout.
Malkin and Neal quickly displayed the chemistry they showed last year that transformed Neal into an All-Star and 40-goal scorer and helped Malkin win the scoring title and Hart Trophy as league MVP.
“It’s always fun,” Neal said. “It shows how good he is. He made some great passes tonight.”
Former Hurricane Jussi Jokinen scored twice, while Brenden Morrow and Matt Cooke also found the back of the net. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 shots for his 23rd win. He also had an assist for the second straight game.
“It always feels better getting a win going into the playoffs,” Neal said. “The team’s definitely excited an anxious and ready to go.”
Pittsburgh improved to 23-4 in its last 27 games and enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed and overwhelming favorite in the Eastern Conference. A scheduling conflict at Consol Energy Center means the Penguins won’t open the playoffs until Wednesday against the New York Islanders.
Ottawa defeated Boston, 4-2, Sunday night to drop the Islanders to the No. 8 seed in the Easttern Conference.
But that doesn’t appear to matter to a team which won 36 of 48 games during a lockout-shortened regular season.
The Penguins nabbed the top seed in the East two weeks ago.
