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 Center Sidney Crosby came through on a power play for his second
goal of the season, and Phil Kessel added two assists as the
Penguins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 Wednesday night.
Left winger David Perron, with his first goal of the season, and
center Eric Fehr, short-handed, also scored for Pittsburgh (8-4-0).
It was the fifth consecutive win for the Penguins and their eighth
victory in nine games. That came after Pittsburgh stumbled to an
0-3-0 start.
Fehr, who has short-handed goals in back-to-back games, said the
Penguins didn't work hard enough to begin the season.
"I think in the preseason everybody was telling us how good we were
going to be, how many goals we were going to score," he said. "I
think we forgot how hard it is to score in this league, how good all
the teams are.
"After we got down a couple early in the season, I think we figured
it out. We have to bring it every night and can't take any games for
granted. I think we have played full team efforts."
Fehr, who signed with the Penguins as a free agent, missed the first
10 games of the season after undergoing elbow surgery. He became the
first player in NHL history to score a short-handed goal in his
first two games with a team.
The Penguins started the season scoring two goals or fewer in seven
of their first eight games. They now have scored three or more in
four consecutive games.
The Canucks (6-3-4) were 0-for-4 on the power play. Pittsburgh has
killed 17 consecutive man-advantages.
Crosby is one of the Penguins who was struggling, as he was held
without a point three of the previous four games.
He gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead at 7:17 of the third when he took a
pass from Kessel in front of the net, made a move, then tucked the
puck in the corner behind Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller.
"I think my own expectations are the ones I try to meet, and those
are probably higher than anyone else's," said Crosby, who has three
points in 12 games. "I expect a lot of myself, and I work hard to
try and make sure I'm doing my job and creating things and
producing.
"There's not always a great explanation (for not producing) but
you've got to find a way to ultimately figure it out and produce.
That's really been my focus. Dwelling on what's said is not really
going to help the puck go into the net."
The score flattered the Canucks, who scored twice in the last 6:01.
Left winger Daniel Sedin made it 3-1 on a deflection, and right
winger Jannik Hansen cut the margin to 3-2 with 1:07 left when the
Canucks pulled Miller for an extra attacker.
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Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said the Penguins let
Vancouver back in the game.
"They had a few chances," said Fleury, who finished with 18 saves.
"When they got their first goal, it seemed like they got their legs
and were a little more dangerous."
Canuck coach Willie Desjardins said it was too little, too late from
his team.
"We didn't get going tonight," he said.
"We have to be better throughout the game. We're not going to win
many games playing like that.
"They were catching us before we could get on the attack. We just
didn't generate."
Hansen said the Canucks didn't have much energy in the first period.
"We were a little flat, that's for sure," he said. "I don't know
what was missing."
Hansen had a great scoring chance on a breakaway in the second
period. His shot clipped the top of Fleury's glove, then banged off
the post.
"We really need that tying goal in the second," Hansen said. "We
weren't getting rewarded for a lot of good opportunities."
NOTES: LW Chris Higgins returned to the Vancouver lineup after
fracturing his foot in the first preseason game. ... C Brandon
Sutter played against his old team for the first time since being
traded to Vancouver on July 26. ... Vancouver's scratches were LW
Sven Baertschi, C Brendan Gaunce and D Alex Biega. ... Canucks G
Jacob Markstrom will be sent to Utica of the AHL for conditioning
after recovering from a hamstring injury. ... The Canucks open a
seven-game road trip Saturday in Buffalo. ... The Penguins lost
twice to Vancouver last year by a combined 8-0 score. ... Pittsburgh
LW Chris Kunitz was in the lineup despite missing practice Tuesday.
... The Penguins' scratches were RW Daniel Sprong and D Adam
Clendening, a former Canuck. ... The Penguins continue their
four-game road trip Friday in Edmonton.
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