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Raycroft stays hot as Avalanche bury Penguins

Jan 11, 2009 - 1:02 AM By Dave Reed PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Andrew Raycroft is on a hot streak.

Raycroft made 21 saves in his third straight start and David Jones scored a pair of goals and set up another to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Raycroft extended his personal winning streak to seven games while improving to 9-1-0 overall this season.

"We played great," Raycroft said. "We stayed out of the (penalty) box, which was huge, and we really didn't give them anything."

Wojtek Wolski, Cody McLeod and Ryan Smyth each added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche. Wolski has netted four tallies in his last three contests.

"Milan (Hejduk) and Ryan create so many chances" Wolski said. "They pull so many guys toward them. If you move your feet and go to the net, you're going to get chances and you're going to score goals."

Despite receiving a goal and an assist apiece from All-Stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Jones set up what proved to be the game-winning goal by McLeod with 5:21 remaining in the second period. Just 51 seconds after Jordan Staal's shorthander 7 1/2 minutes into the third drew Pittsburgh within 4-3, Jones capped his first career two-goal effort during a power play to provide the final margin.

"Some nights, you just get those bounces, and tonight was one of those nights," Jones said. "I had a few shots, and I was fortunate to get two that were right in front of the net and I just buried them."

Wolski put the Avalanche ahead for good, 3-2, midway through the middle session, when he beat goaltender Dany Sabourin with a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle at 10:33 after receiving a pass from Smyth.

Colorado struck first when Wolski's shot from the top of the slot went off Smyth's skate, Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik's toe and past Sabourin low to the glove side with 9:16 left in the first period.

"We're not getting any breaks, that's for sure," Crosby said. "The mistakes we make are in our nets."

The Penguins tied the game five minutes later, when Malkin took a cross-ice pass from Crosby and beat Raycroft with a one-timer from the right circle that sailed just inside the near goalpost.

Jones gave Colorado a 2-1 lead 2:06 into the second period when he chipped the rebound of blue-liner John-Michael Liles' shot past Sabourin. But Crosby tied it at 8:44, when his one-timer off a cross-ice pass from Malkin went under Raycroft's pad.

"We want to make sure we are doing our part when we're put together," Crosby said. "It's a message to us that we have to produce, as far as our line goes. We want to try to make things happen."

Sabourin allowed four goals on 25 shots before being replaced after two periods by Marc-Andre Fleury, who made six saves in the third.

Orpik helped set up both goals for Pittsburgh, which has lost 13 of 18.

"We've got to play better defensively," Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien said. "We can't allow four or five goals against. It is tough. Eventually, if we've got the right approach, we'll get out of this."