Avalanche 3 - 6 Penguins
Final
  for this game

Malkin nets winner as Penguins top Avalanche

Nov 16, 2011 - 4:58 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Evgeni Malkin netted the deciding tally in a four-goal third period, as Pittsburgh subdued Colorado, 6-3, at CONSOL Energy Center.

Pascal Dupuis, Jordan Staal, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and James Neal also lit the lamp for the Penguins, who won for the eighth time in their last 11.

Marc-Andre Fleury shook off a three-goal opening 20 minutes, making 24 saves to earn the victory.

"We did a great job of coming back, but we have to be able to play games from the start, and know how to do the right things," said Neal. "We can't come into games and play catch-up."

Matt Duchene, David Jones and Jay McClement provided the offense for the Avalanche, who stumbled to their eighth loss in 10.

Semyon Varlamov was tagged in defeat for all six scores on 33 shots.

Down 3-2 entering the final period, Pittsburgh unleashed a display of offense to claim victory.

Orpik knotted the game when his offering from the left point somehow sailed through traffic and into the cage at 1:12 of the third.

Malkin then undressed Avs rookie Gabriel Landeskog, pulling a James Neal pass through the youngster's skates in the right circle. He then pulled Varlamov out of position and hit the open net at 4:45.

Neal swatted home a loose puck while uncovered at the right post for a power-play score and 5-3 edge at 7:17, and Letang finished off a solo rush by pushing a backhander between Varlamov's pads for a three-goal cushion at 10:30.

"It's funny because it's the opposite of our play at home," noted Avs head coach Joe Sacco. "We had a real good start and just weren't able to finish it."

The Avalanche took a 1-0 lead with 5:09 left in the opening period as newly- minted Colorado captain Milan Hejduk's shot from the right boards was kicked out by Fleury, but McClement backhanded the rebound inside the near post.

It was 2-0 on a delayed penalty less than three minutes later as Duchene took a Paul Stastny pass in the slot, switched from forehand to backhand and slid a shot home.

Staal managed to halve Pittsburgh's deficit with 1:27 remaining on a high shot from the top of the right circle, but Jones put the Avs up 3-1 on a tally with 16 seconds to go.

The Pens got back within a goal inside of nine minutes left in the second as a Stastny was unable to cover a loose puck at the top of the crease, and Dupuis poked the disc in.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh has won three in a row over Colorado since 2009, and has not dropped a home contest against the Avs since January of 2004...The Penguins recalled forward Dustin Jeffrey from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL...Hejduk became just the third player to be named captain since the Avs relocated from Quebec City; Joe Sakic served that role from 1995 through 2009, and Adam Foote was captain the last two seasons.






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