Kessel scores twice on power play, Penguins top Red Wings

PITTSBURGH -- Phil Kessel scored two power-play goals and had an assist for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.

"I thought we played well," Kessel said. "We draw a penalty and turn momentum. It kind of starts from there."
Derick Brassard scored twice, and Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby each had two assists for Pittsburgh (19-12-6), which has won four straight games and has outscored its opponents 12-4 during that span.
WATCH: [All Red Wings vs. Penguins highlights]
Matt Murray, who made 27 saves, has won each of his four starts since missing nine games with a lower-body injury. He was 0-4-1 in his previous six starts.
"I'm just trying to get better as I go," Murray said. "Like I've said, it's not easy coming off an injury like that, but I just try to dive in head first each and every day and try to improve every day. I think, myself and as a team, we're trending in the right direction. We seem to be getting better as we go."

Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou scored, and Jimmy Howard made 35 saves for Detroit (15-18-6), which has lost three in a row (0-2-1).
"There's going to be ebbs and flows to the game, but for the most part, we have to play with much more desperation," Howard said. "We can't think we're going to be one of these teams that scores four every night. We have to win games 3-2, 2-1. So we have to get back to playing well defensively like we were when we had things going."
Larkin put the Red Wings ahead 1-0 at 11:49 of the first period, scoring short side on a wrist shot past a screen from Justin Abdelkader. He has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) during a 12-game point streak.

"I thought we had a great first. If anything, we had to keep it going," Larkin said. "Both teams had the break, so you can't use that as an excuse. So we just need to battle and battle for each other. When they're swarming around and they're getting rush chances, we have to come back a little harder and we need to find a way to get the puck out of the zone."
Kessel tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 7:12 of the second period. After carrying the puck into Detroit's zone, he skated around Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson before scoring on a backhand five-hole.
Brassard gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 8:26 when Kessel's pass redirected in off his left skate. It was his first point in eight games.
Kessel made it 3-1 on a snap shot glove side from the high slot at 18:58.

Athanasiou cut it to 3-2 on a breakaway at 4:45 of the third period, but Patric Hornqvist redirected a shot from Jack Johnson to make it 4-2 at 5:55.
Brassard scored an empty-net goal at 17:35 to extend the lead to 5-2.

They said it

"Until Kessel scored that goal, [the Penguins] had nothing going, even in the second there. They're a momentum team. ... We have to make sure we do a better job of finding ways to grab the momentum back." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill
"I think over the years watching [Murray], when he's at his best he tracks the puck really well, he anticipates. One of his biggest strengths, I think, is his ability to read plays and his intellect. He sees the plays extremely well and he tends to square up to pucks, and makes difficult saves look routine sometimes, but they're really not. He's just a smart goalie that anticipates. ... Since he's come back off his injury, that's what I've witnessed." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan

Need to know

Larkin's 12-game point streak is the longest by a Red Wings player since Henrik Zetterberg had at least one point in each of the first 17 games of the 2007-08 season. ... Athanasiou returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury. He played left wing on the third line with center Luke Glendening and right wing Michael Rasmussen. ... The Penguins signed forward Jake Guentzel to a five-year, $30 million contract on Thursday that will run through the 2023-24 season. ... Penguins defenseman Jamie Oleksiak missed a third straight game with a concussion. He wore a white, no-contact jersey during morning skate Thursday. ... Crosby has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in his past 21 games. ... Pittsburgh, which tied its longest win streak of the season (Oct. 18-27), is 6-1-0 in its past seven games and 9-2-1 in its past 12.

What's next

Red Wings:At the Dallas Stars on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-SW, FS-D, NHL.TV)
Penguins: At the St. Louis Blues on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)