Crosby and Malkin lift Penguins to 5-2 win over Red Wings

They’re well aware that talking about it won’t mean much unless it’s demonstrated when they take on the Sabres on Saturday at Buffalo. Past year when these two teams met, however, Detroit triumphed in two of the three games against Pittsburgh.

2016 is not going to start off easy for the Penguins. At one point, Datsyuk fed DeKeyser on the back door for a wide-open net that DK missed, but the Wings kept pressure on.

Penguins goaltender and Detroit native Jeff Zatkoff was looking to snap out of his recent five-game funk and pick up his first win since November 6 Thursday at Joe Louis Arena.

Letang and Glendening took matching minors for roughing and Slashing about halfway through the first.

Eichel has 13 goals this season, tied with Detroit’s Dylan Larkin for the rookie lead. “The second and third periods we really got it together and everybody chipped in”.

At the Pepsi Centre, Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov made a colossal 39 saves but was unable to prevent the Avalanche falling to a 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago, with Jonathan Toews netting the game-winning goal on the power play.

Patric Hornqvist had a goal and two assists on the evening.

The strategy worked to some extent the first time – the Red Wings were within 3-2 by the end of the second period before losing 4-3 to the Devils – but not in Winnipeg.

Letang wasn’t done taking penalties in the 2nd period, as he took a cross-check 8:28 in. But it was ruled no goal because Mrazek was being pushed in along with the puck. They also got robbed of a 5-on-3 chance when the refs made a decision to ignore a puck over the glass. Also naturally, the Penguins scored to tie it; who else but Letang? Mrazek stopped the initial shot, but kicked the puck in as it trickled over his shoulder and into the crease. This from a team with the 25th-ranked power play in the National Hockey League. This one was on Larkin rather than the bench. Five minutes in, though, the Wings surged. Forty seconds later it was 4-2 when Evgeni Malkin fired a puck that snuck underneath Mrazek’s right arm and snuffed the Wings’ chance for celebrating.

The Wings pulled Mrazek with about four minutes to go.

Letang scored an empty-net goal with 1:40 remaining in the game and had an assist on the Penguins’ first goal.

Standout Players: Joakim AnderssonTough Period: Sheahan, Kronwall, f***ing everybody, Blashill. It isn’t great, but they have shown flashes of good play. It’s the special teams.

Aside from the transition going too slowly, the gaps between the forwards and defensemen are too large. “You create your own confidence by the way you play”.

The Red Wings are 0-4 in their last 4 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game and the under is 4-0-1 in Red Wings last 5 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game while the Red Wings are 0-4 in their last 4 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. He got another opportunity when Detroit’s Tomas Nosek inadvertently blocked a teammate’s clearing attempt.