Penguins 4 - 2 Panthers
Final
  for this game

Playoff-bound Penguins down Panthers

Apr 3, 2011 - 6:51 AM Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Zbynek Michalek tallied the go-ahead goal in the third period and Jordan Staal recorded three assists as the Pittsburgh Penguins topped the Florida Panthers, 4-2, at BankAtlantic Center.

Tyler Kennedy, Pascal Dupuis and Craig Adams each notched a goal for Pittsburgh while Brent Johnson stopped 28 shots for the victors.

The Penguins reached 100 points -- just two behind the idle Philadelphia Flyers in the Atlantic Division and three ahead of Tampa Bay for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

"It was huge. Obviously it's 100 points ... but it's two points on the road, which is always a good thing," said Johnson.

Jack Skille and Clay Wilson both scored for the Panthers, who widened their season-long losing streak to eight games. Scott Clemmensen stopped 30 shots in defeat.

"I wish we could have pulled [a win] off," said Skille.

Pittsburgh got on the board early as Kennedy scored on a wrister from the edge of the left circle 1:45 into the contest.

Skille evened it as he took a pass from Marty Reasoner at the left boards and slapped it home on the stick side 14:38 in for his eighth goal of the season.

The Panthers tallied their second goal just 22 seconds later. Wilson took a pass from Sergei Samsonov at the blue line and lifted the wrister from the left circle to the top glove side corner of the net.

Dupuis evened the game 45 seconds into the second as he scored on an empty net. Chris Conner sent a pass from behind the goal to Maxime Talbot on the right side of the goalmouth. Talbot drew the defenders and Clemmensen, and shuffled a short pass to Dupuis, who sent it home to even the game.

Michalek tallied the game-winner at the 12:49 mark of the third. Michalek took a centering pass from Paul Martin at the top of the right circle and sent it home for the go-ahead goal.

Adams' empty-net goal with 1:30 remaining accounted for the final advantage.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh is now 7-3-0 in its last 10 games...The Penguins swept the four- game season series, winning three of four in regulation...Pittsburgh bounced back from consecutive losses to Tampa Bay and Philadelphia...The Penguins are now 22-11-6 on the road.






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