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Sykora helps Penguins edge Ducks

Oct 7, 2007 - 4:20 AM By Chris Adamski PA Sportsticker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Petr Sykora had two goals and two assists and Evgeni Malkin scored one tally and set up another as the Pittsburgh Penguins won their home opener, skating to a 5-4 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

Colby Armstrong and Ryan Malone also scored and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for the Penguins.

Chris Kunitz had two goals and Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each added one for the Ducks, who have lost four of their first five games.

"I think for the most part, we did a lot of the little things (well)," Armstrong said. "Getting the pucks deep, working as a unit. We were getting after it on the forecheck, making things happen."

With the game tied at 3-3 in the third period, Malkin put the puck in front of the net. Sykora was able to bang it past rookie goaltender Jonas Hiller to give the Penguins a 4-3 edge with 6:28 remaining.

It took Ryan Malone just 19 seconds to add a much-needed insurance goal as he took an excellent feed from captain Sidney Crosby and sent a snap shot by Hiller.

The tally proved crucial as Perry scored with 22 seconds left to cut the deficit to 5-4.

The Penguins scored a power-play goal to tie it at 1-1 with 3:21 to play in the opening session as Sykora, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, was able to hammer the puck past Hiller.

Getzlaf began a flurry of scoring to begin the second period when he beat Fleury at 1:25. But Armstrong answered just 2 1/2 minutes later, tying the game at 2-2 on a nifty move after receiving a lead pass from Gary Roberts.

"It wasn't anything too spectacular, I don't think," Armstrong said. "I just kinda flipped it by him. The old pee-wee move, try to beat him with speed. (Sergei) Fedorov used to do that back in the day, flip it by him and go in. It makes it hard on the D. That's all I was trying to do."

Pittsburgh took a 3-2 lead 20 seconds later, when Malkin tapped in a perfect cross-ice pass from Sykora.

"They just won the Cup. They're missing a couple guys from last year, but still, they have a good team," Fleury said. "You can tell by the way they were playing that they won the Cup. I thought our guys did a great job though, defensively and offensively. To get five goals is awesome."

However, Kunitz again deadlocked the contest with his second goal of the night, a shorthander at 6:18 of the third.

Anaheim was playing its fifth road game in eight days spanning two continents. The Ducks opened the season with two games in London and lost at Detroit and Columbus earlier this week. They flew home immediately following the game Saturday after being away from home for 13 days.

"We're too tired to be angry," captain Chris Pronger said of the two consecutive games without earning a point. "It will be nice to get back home. It's certainly not the way we wanted to end the road trip, but it was a step in the right direction, a good start."

"I thought we competed extremely hard and it was our best effort of the last two games as far as the way we played according to our system," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We did a lot of good things that we are going to have to continue to get better at."

The reigning Hart Trophy winner, Crosby was playing his first game at home as the Penguins' captain. The 20-year-old was struck in the right foot while blocking a shot early in the game and appeared to be hobbled but did not miss a shift.

The Penguins opened the season with games on back-to-back nights against each of the past two Stanley Cup winners. They lost, 4-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

"In some ways, it was a wake-up call, but tonight I felt those bounces would go our way," Sykora said. "I wouldn't say we really played terrible last night. We just didn't play well. And tonight, we did."