If Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin play in the Olympics as they did against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, goaltender Ryan Miller might want to stay home.
Crosby and Malkin each had a goal and an assist while Harry Zolnierczyk, James Neal and Brian Gibbons each added a goal as the Penguins defeated the Sabres 5-1 in Buffalo.
The Sabres came out flying in the first period and took the lead on Drew Stafford’s ninth goal of the season six minutes into the game. Stafford jammed in a lose puck after Tyler Ennis’s wrap around attempt ended up underneath goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Ryan Miller looked sharp early on but the game turned completely when Zolnierczyk scored with five minutes remaining in the first period to tie the score at one. Sidney Crosby won a puck battle in the corner and got the puck to Craig Adams who found Zolnierczyk in front of the net.
Crosby scored 2:08 into the second period with the Penguins on the power play. Matt Niskanen hit Crosby with a pass in the neutral zone and the league-leading scorer zipped past the defense and beat Ryan Miller with a quick snap shot past the glove hand.
Late in the second period, it was Evgeni Malkin’s turn to get on the scoreboard and the highlight tape. Malkin got past the defense at the blue line with the puck, faked the back hand, then slid the puck past Miller’s right pad with a forehand shot.
Brian Gibbons scored off a face-off win by Brandon Sutter to give the Pens a 4-1 lead early in the third. Then, James Neal took a drop pass from Malkin and buried a wrist shot past Miller from the top of the slot.
Fleury held the Sabres in check the rest of the way, including making a stop on John Scott on a partial breakaway, and the Penguins left the First Niagara Center with a 5-1 win.
- Sidney Crosby has a 17 game point streak against Buffalo.
- Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 68 of 70 shots against Buffalo this season.
Three Stars
- Sidney Crosby
- Evgeni Malkin
- Paul Martin
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
