Malkin Scores 3 Goals As Penguins Beat Lightning 6-3
TAMPA, Fla. (KDKA/AP) -- Despite seeing a three-goal lead vanish in the third period, the Penguins managed a 6-3 victory over the Lightning Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay.
After the Lightning's Teddy Purcell tied things up at 3-3, Evgeni Malkin stepped up for the Pens, adding three goals to the two assists he had earlier in the game.
Two of Malkin's goals came in a stretch of 1:49 midway through the third period to put the Pens ahead 5-3.
James Neal scored two power play goals, one early in the first and the other early in the third, and Richard Park also added a goal for the Penguins.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 17 saves in the win, and former Penguin Mathieu Garon made 38 saves for the Lightning.
It was the Penguins second straight win following a six-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Lightning have lost seven straight and dropped into last place in the Eastern Conference.
Neal gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead during a power play 2:43 into the game. Then, Park made it 2-0 from the slot at 10:38 of the first, snapping his 17-game goal drought.
After a scoreless second period, Neal put in his 12th power-play goal of the season to make it 3-0 just 34 seconds into the third.
But that's when the comeback began for Tampa Bay.
After Gilroy scored his first goal in 71 games at 2:00 of the third to make it 3-1, another former Penguin Ryan Malone connected on Tampa Bay's first power play at 4:53.
Purcell then tied it with a rebound goal past Fleury at 6:50.
But Malkin broke the 3-all tie when he scored on an in-close backhander at 7:38 of the third. He then skated in from the left wing boards and beat Garon with another backhander with 10:33 remaining.
He completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 56 seconds to play.
The Penguins had second-period shots by Park and Ben Lovejoy hit the post, and the Lightning had a potential goal wiped out when it was ruled that Malone put the puck into the net with a high stick. The call was upheld after a video review.
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