COLUMBUS
Matt Murray Jersey , Ohio (AP) — After the Columbus Blue Jackets beefed up their roster at the NHL trade deadline for a Metropolitan Division playoff run, the injury-plagued Pittsburgh Penguins came to town looking more vulnerable than usual.Missing some top defensemen, the Penguins jumped out to a three-goal lead anyway and then held off the new-look Blue Jackets, cruising to a 5-2 win Tuesday night in a game marked by monster hits and scuffles.Jared McCann scored twice and Matt Murray made 21 saves as Pittsburgh — which began the day tied for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference — snapped a two-game skid.The Penguins were without blue-liners Kris Letang (upper body) and Brian Dumoulin (concussion), who were hurt in the outdoor game Saturday at Philadelphia. Pittsburgh defenseman Ollie Maata was already on injured reserve with a separated shoulder.But the Penguins held Columbus in check, even after another defenseman, Chad Ruhwedel, went out after a big hit from Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno. Ruhwedel and wing Bryan Rust, injured in a violent collision with Columbus newcomer Adam McQuaid, will be evaluated Wednesday, coach Mike Sullivan said.Jake Guentzel
http://www.officialpenguinsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-olli-maatta-jersey , Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby also scored for Pittsburgh.“We’ve got nothing but character in here, for sure,” Murray said. “It’s tough seeing teammates go down, they were important guys for us, so we had a job to do and tonight everybody stepped up, so it was awesome to see.”Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson scored and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots for the Blue Jackets, who lost after posting back-to-back shutouts last week and making a flurry of moves before Monday’s trade deadline. Columbus started the day in third place in the division.Columbus added center Matt Duchene, wing Ryan Dzingel, defenseman McQuaid and goalie Keith Kinkaid. All but Kinkaid played on Tuesday night, with Dzingel, a former star at Ohio State
Womens Patric Hornqvist Jersey , picking up an assist for his new team.Crosby sent a centering pass from the left corner to Guentzel in the slot and he went top shelf on Bobrovsky with 6:15 left in the first period to open the scoring.McCann made it 2-0 late in the period when he rifled one in with the unwitting assistance of Columbus defender David Savard, who appeared to keep Bobrovsky from seeing the puck until it was past him. Malkin extended it to 3-0 early in the second with a long, rising shot from the left point.“They’re an opportunistic team,” Foligno said. “They’re quick-strike, they don’t need many chances to score goals. Disappointing that we didn’t show up in the first (period). We can’t get in a hole like that.”Bjorkstrand got Columbus on the board when he charged in and shot over Murray’s glove later in the second, and Atkinson scored his team-leading 35th goal on a power play when Artemi Panarin’s hard shot deflected right to him in the right circle.But the Blue Jackets couldn’t tie it.McCann banged a wrist shot past Bobrovsky with 6:33 left in the game, and Crosby scored an empty-net goal with five seconds remaining, giving the Penguins superstar a goal and an assist on the evening. He has 27 goals and 50 assists this season.“We came out hard, kind of let up there in the second but had to find a way to get two points,” Murray said.NOTES: Columbus forward Boone Jenner played in his 400th game with the Blue Jackets. … D Erik Gudbranson, obtained Monday from Vancouver
Phil Kessel Jersey , didn’t play for Pittsburgh because he’s going through the immigration process.UP NEXTPenguins: At the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.Blue Jackets: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. PHILADELPHIA (AP) Tinged with sadness, the Hurricanes welcomed their captain back to the lineup.Jordan Staal helped give them the boost they needed toward a playoff push.Justin Williams scored two goals, Cam Ward stopped 21 shots and the Carolina Hurricanes snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.The Flyers had been the hottest team in hockey, winners of six straight overall and riding a 10-0-2 streak for their longest span without a regulation loss since 2003.They were even 4-0-1 against the Hurricanes in their last five against them at home.Carolina had an emotional lift in this one to make those numbers trivialStaal played for the first time since he and his wife said their infant daughter died of a terminal birth defect. Staal had missed three games and he rejoined the team Wednesday.”He’s a lift, spiritually and physically on the ice,” Williams said. ”You know he’s going to make the right play. You know he’s going to win a battle. As his linemate, playing tonight, you know he’s going to get the puck to you when it’s a 1-on-1 battle. He’s a very important piece for us, clearly.”Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said Staal means more to the franchise than just his numbers.”You need your best players to be your best players and we miss him when he’s not here,” he said. ”It’s good to have him back.”Carolina, which is chasing the eighth spot in the East
Sidney Crosby Jersey , made quick work in ending the good times in Philly.Williams knocked in a loose puck 4:40 into the game and the former Flyer stuck it to his former team one more time.”There’s a little something there,” Williams said. ”It’s special. My wife’s family is from here. I have a lot of friends here. This is where I started. It’s always special, absolutely.”The Flyers sizzling offense of late fizzled and even goalie Petr Mrazek had his worst outing since he was acquired two weeks ago. He stopped 28 shots to beat Montreal 1-0 in a shootout in his last start. He was 3-0 with a 1.30 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in his three starts.Teuvo Teravainen scored early in the second and Williams scored his 12th goal of the season late in the second for the 3-0 lead.Staal had his 21st assist on Williams’ second goal.”I don’t think there’s much to be said about what he’s going through. It’s huge to have him back,” Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk said.The Flyers were stymied offensively and took only six shots in the first period. In the second, they were shutout in a period where they had scored 74 goals this season.Yes, even a 12-game streak that helped take them from last in the Metro Division in early December to a brief stop in first atop the division, the Flyers were soundly booed off the ice at the end of a dreary second period. The Flyers would have moved back into first place with a victory and lost for the first time in regulation since Feb. 1.Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald said the winning had masked some bad habits picked up of late by the team.”You kind of get into a groove and you’re kind of feeling it and think things are going to go right for you,” he said. ”That’s not always going to be the case. Tonight was a good example of that.”Travis Konecny gave a brief jolt to their offense with a goal early in the third to make it 3-1.”It’s tough to do this on home ice. We can’t win them all,” Flyers center Jake Voracek said.Sebastian Aho sealed it with his 23rd goal.”We need to impose our will. We need to suffocate teams,” Williams said. ”We did that today.”NOTES: The Flyers played the Hurricanes for the first of three times over the final 19 games of the season. … The Flyers have a weekend set in Florida. … Ward improved his career record to 12-11-6 vs. the Flyers. … Flyers D Ivan Provorov was down on the ice for a bit after taking a shot his right knee.UP NEXT:Hurricanes: Host New Jersey on Friday.Flyers: At Tampa Bay on Saturday and at Florida on Sunday.
