Malkin gets four points to lift Penguins past Red Wings

PITTSBURGH --Evgeni Malkin had two goals and four points to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.
Malkin, who scored once in the first period and once in the second, had secondary assists on power-play goals from Phil Kessel in the first period and Sidney Crosby in the third. Malkin had three points (two goals, one assist), including the game-winning goal, when Pittsburgh won its last game before a five-day break, 6-5 in overtime against the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

"It's always fun when you win and you have more confidence," Malkin said. "Your game is better. The mood is better. Now, we're feeling so much better. It's like we start playing so much better on the power play, the PK and special teams too. Now, just stay the same and stay on the same level.
WATCH: [All Red Wings vs. Penguins highlights]
"I just play my game. A couple lucky goals and the power play worked tonight too. … I feel so much more confident."
Malkin has five goals and eight points in his past three games.

Kessel had three points (one goal, two assists), Sidney Crosby had two (one goal, one assist) and Tristan Jarry made 29 saves in his third straight start after allowing five goals on 19 shots before being pulled on Sunday.
"I thought we were moving our feet," Crosby said. "I thought the last few games, we've played pretty fast and executed well. So, I thought we did that. … I don't think you can take anything for granted."
The Penguins (23-19-3) have won three straight games after losing nine of their previous 14 (5-9-0). They held the Red Wings (17-18-7), who had won four of their past five games (4-1-0) entering Saturday, to 1-for-7 on the power play.
"Our power play has to be better," Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "We had a lot of opportunities. I know we got one, but in the first, I think we had four opportunities and you want to get some more out of it. … If you look at it, their best players were better than our best players tonight. I think if you go down to it, they score. They took care of business on the power play. We didn't."

Pittsburgh was leading 2-1 despite taking four penalties in the first period.
Malkin opened the scoring at 3:01 after a shot from Olli Maatta bounced off the end boards and to Carl Hagelin to the left of the net. Hagelin sent a pass past Justin Abdelkader to Malkin between the circles, where he dropped to one knee and shot by Jimmy Howard's glove
Abdelkader tied it 1-1 on a power play at 13:36, when he backhanded a rebound off the inside of Jarry's right pad.
Kessel answered with a power-play goal to put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 at 16:35. Crosby carried the puck down the far wall before passing above the crease to Kessel, who redirected it past Howard.
Malkin scored to extend the lead to 3-1 at 2:08 of the second period and Crosby scored on a power play at 3:31 of the third to make it 4-1.
Howard made 32 saves for the Red Wings.

Goal of the game

Kessel's goal at 16:35 of the first period.

Save of the game

Jarry's save on Mike Green at 13:46 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Malkin's first goal at 3:01 of the first period.

They said it

"[Malkin's] willingness to shoot the puck, I think, really jumps out at me. He's got such a dangerous shot. He's as dangerous of a shooter as there is in the game. Some of them are going to go in, and they've done that lately." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"A shooting mentality and the power play. That was the difference in the game. We have to shoot the puck. We had tons of opportunities to shoot the puck. We didn't."-- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill

Need to know

Abdelkader and Detroit forward Darren Helm each sustained a lower-body injury and will not play against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Blashill said the Red Wings could recall a forward from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League before the game. … Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley, who won the Stanley Cup in each of the past two seasons with the Penguins, played in Pittsburgh for the first time since signing with Detroit on July 1. He received a video tribute during the first television timeout of the first period. … Howard returned after missing one game with a knee injury and said he felt rusty after a five-day break. … Jarry started in place of Matt Murray, who returned to Ontario on Friday because of a personal matter. Sullivan listed Murray as day to day.

What's next

Red Wings:At the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET; NBC, TVA Sports, NHL.TV)
Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)