Crosby scores twice in third, Penguins defeat Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz.-- Sidney Crosby scored two third-period goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Saturday.

Evgeni Malkin scored the tiebreaking goal in the third for the Penguins (38-16-9), who have won eight in a row against the Coyotes since Nov. 7, 2017. Tristan Jarry made 20 saves.
"It's a big reflection of our leadership guys out there," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "They just carry the ball for us and had a certain approach that they were determined to win."
Scott Wedgewood made 45 saves for the Coyotes (20-37-4), who had won two straight and six of seven, and scored 35 goals in their previous six games.
"Going 1-1 into the third with that team is a good battle and, unfortunately, just a couple of bad bounces at the end and we're on the other side of it," Wedgewood said.

Malkin made it 2-1 at 12:36, putting in his rebound off Bryan Rust's pass from the left-wing boards for his first goal in seven games (11 this season).
"I think 'Geno's' game is only getting better," Sullivan said. "We're really excited about the direction his game is trending. I thought he was in beast mode all night."
Crosby scored at 16:13 for a 3-1 lead, then at 18:10 into an empty net for the 4-1 final. He has scored eight goals in his past 12 games and 22 this season.
The Penguins lead the NHL with 21 road wins (32 games).
"We're tough to play against, especially when each line that goes over the boards is doing the same thing," Crosby said. "We bring a lot of pressure, and that's our game. ... I think we're in a good spot right now, but we've got to continue to play better."
The multigoal game was his 87th in the NHL for Crosby, who wears No. 87, but his first against Arizona. Crosby has a multigoal game against 29 NHL teams, tying Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Luc Robitaille and Alex Ovechkin for the most in history.
Kasperi Kapanen gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 2:09 of the second period with his first goal since Jan. 23 (20 games). He celebrated emphatically, saying he almost couldn't remember what it was like to score.
"Scoring a goal obviously feels amazing, but just kind of seeing everybody be that happy for me makes me feel that much more connected with this group," Kapanen said. "It's a great day."

Clayton Keller tied it 1-1 at 11:28 on a breakaway created by Anton Stralman's stretch pass. His wrist shot squeezed between Jarry's pads and crossed the goal line by a couple of inches. The forward has scored 15 points (six goals, nine assists) during an eight-game point streak, and has scored at least one point in 22 of 24 games since Jan. 22 (31 points; 13 goals, 18 assists).
Pittsburgh didn't score during a two-man advantage lasting 1:26 late in the second period and early in the third, but scored three goals in the final 7:24.
"We don't score on the 5-on-3, but we just went back to work, we just kept playing, and it didn't affect our mindset," Sullivan said. "I think that's a great lesson for us moving forward."
The Coyotes had won four of a five-game road trip. Before Keller scored, they were outshot 24-9 and went 21:28 without a shot on goal spanning the first and second periods.
"I don't know what to say, but we have no pop, no fight, no execution and our decisions were slow, from the coach to the players, from everybody," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "It's disappointing."
NOTES: Keller did not play in the final 12:22 because of an apparent lower-body injury, but Tourigny said he expects him to play against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday. ... The Penguins have won seven of 10. Jarry has won four straight. ... Crosby has scored 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 20 games against Arizona. ... Coyotes defenseman J.J. Moser (upper body) was scratched. ... Arizona forward Phil Kessel has scored one goal in his past 32 games.