Stars 1 - 3 Penguins
Final
  for this game

Neal scores twice, Pens down Stars

Nov 12, 2011 - 4:47 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - James Neal scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins took a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars at CONSOL Energy Center.

Matt Cooke scored a penalty shot goal while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots for the Penguins, who have won their past two.

"It's always nice to get it against your former team," said Neal, who played for Dallas before being traded to Pittsburgh last season. "The main thing is us playing a top team and beating them. They came in here to play us hard and we came back and played a great game ourselves."

Eric Nystrom scored the lone goal for the Stars, who had a four-game winning streak stopped. Kari Lehtonen was tagged for all three goals on 32 shots.

Dallas got the first goal of the game and the only tally of the first period with 3:52 to play in the frame as a blind, backhand pass from Radek Dvorak at the left boards went to the front where Nystrom one-timed it home.

Pittsburgh appeared to tie the game with 2 1/2 minutes left in the second on the power play when a blast from Evgeni Malkin at the right circle was tipped in by Chris Kunitz. But, the referee ruled that Kunitz used a high stick and waived off the goal with the replay upholding the call.

However, the Pens scored moments later when a shot from Neal at the left circle trickled past Lehtonen and crossed the goal line.

Skating on the power play, Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead as Malkin sent a pass from the right boards to the slot where Neal attempted a pass to the low left side, but it hit off the stick of Mark Fistric and went in at the 7:19 mark of the third.

Cooke was awarded a penalty shot when he was tripped up on a breakaway by Trevor Daley with 10:32 to play. Cooke skated the puck over the left circle then from in front snapped it into the left corner for a 3-1 advantage.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh plays in Carolina on Saturday...Dallas wraps up its four-game road trip in Detroit on Saturday...Pittsburgh has won six of the past seven games against Dallas...Pittsburgh went 2-for-5 on the power play while Dallas was 0- for-2.






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