Jokinen has 2 goals, Pens beat Lightning 6-3

[April 12, 2013]  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Jussi Jokinen scored two goals and added an assist, Pascal Dupuis had a goal and two assists, and the Eastern-Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 Thursday night.

Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and Tanner Glass had the other Pittsburgh goals. Dupuis has three goals and eight points during a four-game points streak.

Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang was back in the lineup and had an assist after missing the previous six games with a lower body injury. The Penguins are still without center Sidney Crosby (broken jaw), left wing James Neal (concussion) and defenseman Paul Martin (hand).

Pittsburgh has a six-game winning streak against the Lightning.

Teddy Purcell had two goals for the Lightning. Brett Connolly had the other Tampa Bay goal.

Early third-period goals by Malkin and Jokinen gave the Penguins a 5-2 lead. Glass got his first goal in 56 games during a late third-period power play.

Kunitz put Pittsburgh up 3-1 with a redirection on the power play early in the second period. But Connolly stopped a personal 54-game goal drought dating back to Nov. 17, 2011 against Pittsburgh, when he got Tampa Bay within 3-2 with a man-advantage goal.

The Penguins had taken a 1-0 lead 4:07 into the game when Jokinen scored from near the post on a rebound. Dupuis made it 2-0 during a power play on another rebound goal.

After Malkin was called for tripping while battling for position in front of the Tampa Bay net, Purcell cut the Lightning deficit to 2-1 from the right circle. He connected off a pass from Steven Stamkos on the ensuing power play.

Purcell also scored in the final minute of the game.

NOTES: Crosby missed his fifth consecutive game. Neal has been out the past two games. Martin, sidelined six straight games, has resumed skating on his own. ... Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman missed his fourth game due to a lower body injury, but could return this weekend. ... Malkin got his 556th point on his goal, which moved him past Kevin Stevens into seventh place on the Penguins' career list.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.