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 Tyler Kennedy scored his first goal in 17 games during a three-point night, Chris Minard netted the first goal of his 10-game NHL career, and Evgeni Malkin put in his 39th of the campaign during the Penguins' highest-scoring game this season. They also improved to 12-6-4 when Crosby doesn't play.
Petr Sykora, who was supposed to be out with a back injury, Sergei Gonchar, Jeff Taffe and Kris Letang also scored goals for the Penguins, who moved past idle New Jersey by one point for the Atlantic Division lead. They also tied idle Montreal for the Eastern Conference lead.
Crosby, coming off a two-goal effort Sunday against Washington in his third game after missing 21 with a high ankle sprain, had recurring pain during the morning skate and did not play. He has missed 22 of the Penguins' last 26 games with the injury but hopes to play Sunday against Philadelphia.
Conklin had given up only two goals in four games against Buffalo, including the 2-1 Penguins' outdoor game win at Buffalo on Jan. 1. He allowing three in the third period of this one after Pittsburgh opened a 4-0 lead.
The Sabres, beginning to slide out of the conference race, are 1-4-2 in their last seven and couldn't gain ground on Philadelphia, which leads Buffalo by four points for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Flyers lost to the Maple Leafs.
The Penguins swept the season series 4-0 for the first time since the Sabres entered the conference in 1970 by withstanding a five-minute elbowing penalty on Georges Laraque on a play that injured defenseman Nathan Paetsch.
Early in the second period, Paetsch passed the puck up the ice from along the goal line in the Sabres zone moments before Laraque leveled him with a raised elbow. Paetsch lay motionless on the ice for several minutes before being assisted to the locker room.
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Buffalo not only couldn't take advantage of what would have been
an extended power play, the Penguins had four good short-handed
scoring chances before Taffe scored 9 seconds into Maxim
Afinogenov's hooking penalty with the teams skating 4-on-4.
Afinogenov's penalty wiped out the final 1:08 of the extended power
play, and the Sabres were never in the game again.
Buffalo scratched five players with injuries, including
defensemen Jaroslav Spacek (ribs) and Dmitri Kalinin (shoulder).
Notes: Penguins GM Ray Shero needed seven stitches to close a
gash that occurred during an afternoon pickup game at Mellon Arena.
... Ryan Stone's assist on Minard's goal midway through the third
was his first NHL point. ... Buffalo is 1-5-3 in its last nine games
against teams ahead of it in the conference. ... The Penguins were
3-of-6 on the power play after having only one goal with a man
advantage in six games. ... Pittsburgh scored six goals three times
previously this season.
[Associated Press; By ALAN ROBINSON]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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