PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Once again, the Pittsburgh Penguins showed their resilience. Their coach hopes they can make it a little easier on themselves, though.
Evgeni Malkin scored twice, including the tiebreaker in the third period, and Sidney Crosby also had two goals to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-4 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.
Matt Cullen also scored for the Penguins, who tallied three times in a 55-second span late in the first period while opening a four-game road trip with their fourth win in the last five. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 38 shots while making his ninth straight start (6-2-1).
Pittsburgh came back from a two-goal deficit to win for the third time this season.
Jakub Voracek scored twice for the Flyers, and Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds each had one for Philadelphia. Steve Mason started and gave up three goals on 13 shots in the first period. Michal Neuvirth replaced him to start the second and finished with 12 saves on 14 shots.
Matt Murray, who led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup last season, was available as Fleury’s backup. Murray, recovering from a broken hand, hasn’t played this season.
Malkin put the Penguins ahead for good at 8:33 of the third with his milestone goal. Olli Maatta threw the puck toward the net. It bounced off the leg of Philadelphia’s Brandon Manning and to the back post, where a wide-open Malkin shot past Neuvirth.
Malkin’s game-winner was his 300th career goal.
Crosby, who missed the first six games due to a concussion, has four goals and five points in three games since returning.
Trailing 2-0, the Penguins scored three goals during an electrifying 55 seconds late in the first period.
Crosby beat Mason short side from a bad angle with a top shelf wrist shot with 4:16 left in the period.
Forty-three seconds later, Crosby netted a power-play goal after one-timing a pass from Patric Hornqvist in the slot that whizzed by Mason. And Cullen ended the onslaught with a wraparound tally with 3:21 remaining.
The only other time Philadelphia allowed three goals in 55 seconds or less was Nov. 23, 1991, when the Devils tallied three in 42 seconds in the second period of a 5-5 tie.
Pittsburgh capitalized on a turnover by Sean Couturier to take a 4-2 lead on Malkin’s goal midway through the second period.
The Flyers got back within one goal on Giroux’s power-play tally with 6:44 remaining in the period. Radko Gudas made a stellar play to keep the puck in the offensive zone before Wayne Simmonds fed Giroux for a one-timer from the slot that beat Fleury on the glove side.
The play was upheld after a lengthy review to determine whether Philadelphia was offside on the play.
And the Flyers tied it 2:12 later on Voracek’s penalty shot, which was awarded after the Flyers’ right wing was pulled down by Brian Dumoulin on a breakaway attempt.
