The Penguins will be happy when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin return to the lineup. But they have proven they are fine without their two stars.
The 5-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets got the unofficial second half of the Penguins' season started on a winning note Tuesday night and, while several players returned from injury and illness, the Penguins' two biggest stars were still sidelined.
No matter, though, as they extended their record to 9-0-1 in the past 10 games without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup. The Penguins haven't lost a game that both missed since 2011.
"Playing with Sid over the last little while kind of brought me a lot of confidence, and I'm just trying to carry the wave," said David Perron, who had a goal and an assist against the Jets. "Even though they weren't playing, you want to prove to everyone that you can still play, and we found a way to win without them."
Both out with undisclosed injuries, Crosby could return as early as the game tonight against the Capitals in Washington. Malkin's return might take a little longer.
Defenseman Kris Letang helped to fill the offensive void left by Crosby and Malkin Tuesday night. Playing in his first game since suffering a head injury a week ago against the Philadelphia Flyers, Letang notched a career-high five assists.
"When he's skating like that, he can jump up into the play and then he can get back, and that's what he did," Mike Johnston said. "He had great balance to his game."
Both Letang (head) and Perron (illness) were game-time decisions Tuesday, but both ended up playing key roles in a victory that snapped a four-game winless streak.
Brandon Sutter scored the winner on the power play at 7:52 of the third period, capping a comeback for the Penguins, who trailed, 3-2, early in the period.
"It was nice to get on the right side of the two points," Perron said.
"The last few games we were in the same situation and we didn't win the game."
Nick Spaling got the Penguins on the board first 7:09 into the first period, but Perron did most of the heavy lifting. He took the puck down the right side and drew three defenders. With the front of the net clear, he found Spaling in front with a wide-open goal.
The Jets, fought back with second period goals from Chris Thorburn and Jacob Trouba.
The Penguins were poised to go into the third trailing, but Steve Downie evened the score with just 4.6 seconds to go.
The Penguins might have gotten away with having too many men on the ice when the goal was scored. It looked like Letang jumped into the offensive rush before Simon Despres left, but no penalty was called.
"From our vantage point, we should be on the power play going to the third [period] up, 2-1," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "But we don't get to make those calls."
The lead was short-lived, though, as Adam Lowry flicked a quick wrist shot past Thomas Greiss 59 seconds into the third to restore the Jets lead at 3-2.
Perron tied the score at 4:23 of the third on the power play. After it appeared that Jets' goalie Ondrej Pavelec made a five-hole save, Perron poked the puck into the net. Patric Hornqvist added an empty-netter to seal the win.
First Published: January 28, 2015, 2:41 a.m.
Updated: January 28, 2015, 4:39 a.m.
