PITTSBURGH — With Evgeni Malkin’s lower-body injury lingering longer than expected and his team’s offense suddenly sputtering, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan decided to pair Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel on Thursday night against Detroit hoping to find a spark.

The results were immediate. And they weren’t limited to the top line.

Kessel scored twice, Crosby had a goal and an assist and the Penguins received contributions from all over while racing by the Red Wings 6-3.

“Obviously, (Crosby) is going really good right now,” Kessel said. “He’s carrying our team right now and I just try to hop on that.”

Kessel wasn’t the only one. A dozen Penguins picked up at least one point. Matt Cullen added a goal and an assist, Ben Lovejoy scored his first goal since November and Scott Wilson got the first goal of his career for Pittsburgh, which never trailed while gaining valuable ground in the jumbled Eastern Conference playoff race.

“I think that we’re playing a smart brand of hockey,” Lovejoy said. “We’re being smart with the puck going through the neutral zone and because of that, when the skill plays are there, we’re taking advantage, and when they’re not, we’re making the soft play behind the defenseman and making them turn and it’s a really hard brand to play against.”

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 35 shots and the Penguin improved to 7-1 in their last eight home games. Pittsburgh is 9-1-2 in its last 12 games overall.

Rookie Dylan Larkin boosted his team-leading goal total to 19 for Detroit. Tomas Jurco and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, who struggled defensively for a third straight game. Petr Mrazek made 27 saves, but Detroit has given up 11 goals combined in his last two starts.

“It just happens,” Mrazek said. “Sometimes shots go in. You have to find a way to stop those pucks and there were some lucky bounces. ... We just need to battle hard and get a win in the next game.”

Pittsburgh’s offensive surge that started with a comeback win in Detroit on New Year’s Eve had cooled recently without Malkin, who hasn’t played since Feb. 2. The Penguins managed just two goals in their previous three games coming in, even with Crosby logging heavy minutes. Kessel and Crosby played together briefly earlier in the year. Sullivan reunited them for the first time since he took over for Mike Johnston.