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Rested Blue Jackets try to rebound against Penguins

Oct 21, 2006 - 2:25 PM Columbus (2-2-1) at Pittsburgh (3-3-0) 7:30 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets should be an energized group when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

The Blue Jackets, who have played an NHL-low five games, try to rebound from a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. Manny Malhotra and Alexander Svitov scored for Columbus, which was blanked in seven power-play opportunities.

Pascal Leclaire made his fifth straight start for the Blue Jackets but only stopped 23 of 27 shots.

The Penguins snapped a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Defenseman Sergei Gonchar scored the game-winner 3:33 into overtime while Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist and Sidney Crosby had three assists. Malkin, the second pick in the 2004 draft, has three points in his first two NHL games.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 34 shots for Pittsburgh, which went 3-for-8 on the power play.

The Penguins have been proficient with the extra man so far, going 8-for-35 (22.9 percent) this season.