Kovalev Tips Hat Once Again

It almost didn't seem fair: A rookie goaltender is asked to face Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Kovalev in only his second NHL career start.

And it wasn't.

Kovalev had his third three-goal game this month during a five-point night and the Pittsburgh Penguins, enjoying the kind of wide-open game in which they thrive, beat the New York Rangers 6-4 Friday night.

Kovalev - traded by the Rangers in November 1998 - twice tied the game in the first period, then completed his third hat trick since Feb. 7 during a three-goal Pittsburgh second period against rookie goaltender Vitali Yeremeyev.

Martin Straka had a goal and three assists and Lemieux, staying in the lineup despite his ongoing bout with back pain, scored for the second consecutive game. The Penguins improved to 10-3-1 in their last 14 games.

"Basically, Kovalev had a great night," Rangers coach Ron Low said. "A couple of great plays were made by their great players. When you play this team, you just can't shut down one line (the Lemieux line), you have to shut down two lines."

The result, and the ensuing wide-open play uncharacteristic of late in a game involving the Penguins, was almost predictable as Kovalev had his sixth career hat trick barely halfway through the game and Straka had a four-point night.

Kovalev, once criticized by former Rangers general manager Neil Smith for not shooting enough, insisted it didn't feel any better to have a big night against his former team. Really.

"I get asked about it a lot, and I'm kind of sick of it," Kovalev said. "Neil Smith and the Rangers are in the past. ... I said when I was traded to Pittsburgh it was a new start for me."

Kovalev, second in the league with 39 goals to Florida's Pavel Bure (40), got his 37th of the season after Straka intercepted a pass and set him up in front of the net. Kovalev's 38th came later in the first period on a power play resulting from Eric Lacroix's tripping penalty.

The Rangers also scored short-handed on the same penalty, with Straka's giveaway setting up Mark Messier's breakaway for his 19th. Kovalev scored just over a minute later.

Despite Yeremeyev's rough introduction to the Penguins, teammate Rich Pilon said, "He didn't hurt us, we hurt ourselves by giving them too much room, backing off and letting them shoot."

The Penguins were 2-for-27 on the power play in their last six games before scoring on their first two opportunities, with Lemieux getting his 22nd in 25 games to make it 3-2. Lemieux scored almost exactly as he did to win Wednesday's 3-2 overtime decision over Florida, on a one-timer from the left circle, this time off Kovalev's pass.

After Josef Beranek got his eighth for Pittsburgh and Brian Leetch scored on a Rangers power play, Kovalev restored the Penguins' two-goal lead at 12:28 of the second with his 12th goal in nine games this month. He also had hat tricks in consecutive home games against Philadelphia on Feb. 7 and New Jersey on Feb. 10.

"Just to get a hat trick was special for me, I don't care who it was against," Kovalev said. "It took me four years to get my second (career) hat trick, and now I have four this year. I almost can't find words for it. This is one of those times when everything goes in."

The offense was just what the Penguins needed on a night when they played without four of their top six defensemen. Three defensemen called up from the minors since Monday all played at least 16 minutes: Andrew Ference, Sven Butenschon and Josef Melichar. Butenschon assisted on Straka's goal.

Straka scored his 22nd in the opening minute of the third period on a breakaway, with Kovalev assisting. The Rangers also scored in the opening minute of the first period, with Radek Dvorak beating Jean-Sebastien Aubin with 25 seconds gone.

Notes