Penguins' Struggles Continue In 4-3 Loss To Lightning
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PITTSBURGH (AP) - Brayden Point scored three straight power-play goals in 1:31 - the sixth-fastest three goals in NHL history - and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Thursday night.
Billy Mosienko holds the record, scoring three times in 21 seconds for Chicago against New York in 1952. Point's 91-second burst was the second-fastest three goals since 1967-68.
Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby sat out after sustaining an upper-body injury Tuesday night at New Jersey. Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed the injury is not a concussion, and Crosby is considered day-to-day, but will likely miss a week.
Yanni Gourde also had a power-play goal, Nikita Kucherov added three assists, and backup goalie Louis Domingue made 28 saves to help the Lightning win for the fifth time in seven games. Starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is out indefinitely.
Patric Hornqvist scored twice for Pittsburgh, Phil Kessel also connected, Evgeni Malkin had two assists and Matt Murray stopped 22 shots. The Penguins have lost seven of eight following a four-game winning streak.
Pittsburgh committed eight penalties through two periods, which led to four Tampa Bay power-play goals.
The teams combined to score the first five goals on power plays.
Newly acquired forward Tanner Pearson was in the lineup for Pittsburgh. The Penguins acquired Pearson from Los Angeles on Wednesday in exchange for Carl Hagelin in a roster shakeup. Pearson skated with Malkin and Hornqvist.
Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh's first power-play goal at home in seven games when he tipped Kessel's shot behind Domingue. Kessel gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal later in the period.
Pittsburgh took three penalties in 10 seconds during the final minute of the first period.
Point's first power-play goal came with 2.7 seconds left in the period. He scored twice in the first 1:28 of the second period, finishing two slick one-touch passing sequences with one-timers.
Hornqvist's second goal tied it for Pittsburgh, but Gourde gave Tampa Bay the lead with the Lightning's fourth power-play goal of the game, a blocker-side slap shot from the top of the circle.
NOTES: Kucherov had his 200th NHL assist. Gourde has points in eight of his last 10 games. Tampa Bay's Alex Killorn has an assist in a career-best four straight games. Kris Letang passed Syl Apps for sixth on the Penguins' assists list. Letang has points in 11 of his last 14 games against Tampa Bay. ... The Lightning allowed the first goal for the ninth time in the last 10 games. The Penguins wore their yellow third jerseys for the first time. Hall of Famer and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux dropped the puck for a ceremonial opening faceoff, celebrating 25 years of his foundation.
UP NEXT
Lightning: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.
Penguins: At Ottawa on Saturday night.
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