Evgeni Malkin shines as Pittsburgh Penguins snap Chicago Blackhawks winning streak 3-2 -NHL Update
Evgeni Malkin knew that he had to step up with captain Sidney Crosby out of the scene, which is exactly what he has been doing lately as he picked up three assists to give Pittsburgh Penguins their second straight win, snapping the Chicago Blackhawks five-game
winning streak, 3-2, Tuesday night, December 20, 2011, at the sold out CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
"He is definitely demanding of the puck right now," said Chris Kunitz. "He wants to make plays, and he is having success He is just a dominating player when he wants the puck."
Malkin was the man of the night not only against Chicago but also against the Buffalo Sabres in their previous matchup in which he picked up five points (3 goals, 2 assists) which certainly have placed them at the top of the power rankings.
"Geno has been a force offensively," Penguins coach, Dan Bylsma, said, of Malkin. "He's also a guy we're counting on to play against other teams' top lines right now, and he's been good at both ends of the rink. He's been powerful, making plays and driving
the net."
Chris Kunitz got the first of the night with his 12th of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season on their second power play opportunity as Chicago’s John Scott was booked with various penalties.
Scott faced a two minute minor for being an instigator, along with a 10 minute for game misconduct and a five minute major for fighting with Pittsburgh’s, Deryk Engelland.
James Neal put up his 19th 2:45 into the second period on Malkin’s second straight assists of the night while Tyler Kennedy concluded the Pittsburgh scoring with his fourth with less than four minutes to go until the mid period was over.
Chicago nearly made comeback at a critical time with captain, Jonathan Toews, potting his 19th and first of the night while Viktor Stalberg followed up nearly midway through to bring the visiting team within reach of the score by one but luckily
Pittsburgh goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury was able to block 17 of 19 shots in the third period alone.
Pittsburgh are eyeing their third straight against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday while Chicago has the next at home against Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
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