Malkin scores in return, Pens shut out Oilers

[February 05, 2015]  EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Pittsburgh Penguins, looking to get their momentum back after losing six of their last eight games, took a step in the right direction Wednesday at the expense of the short-staffed Edmonton Oilers.

The Penguins scored twice in the second period and then calmly closed out a 2-0 victory to steady their ship and improve to 29-14-8.

"It feels like it's been a while since I got one," Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said of his 22-save shutout. "It was a little quiet for me the first two periods, but the third was a bit more one-sided for them. It was nice to finish on a good note.

"January wasn't our best month, that's for sure. But we are starting to get some guys back into the lineup. Going down the stretch this is the team we are going to have and we need to start building and doing things consistently."

The last-in-the-West Oilers were underdogs to start with, and their odds dropped significantly when two of their top four goal scorers -- injured wingers Taylor Hall and Benoit Pouliot -- couldn't make it to the starting gate.

So result was predictable: Edmonton's 38th loss in 52 games.

"We didn't have a great game tonight," said Edmonton winger Matt Hendricks, adding the game wasn't as close as the score. "We weren't an aggressive team. Our forecheck wasn't good. Our dumps weren't good. They were exiting their zone way too freely.

"I give them credit, they're a good hockey team, but we helped them out tonight."

Pittsburgh carried most of the play in the first two periods and had the Oilers hemmed in their own end for long stretches at a time, but despite a 10-5 advantage in shots after 20 minutes, it was still scoreless, thanks to the netminding of Edmonton's Viktor Fasth.

"A team like that, they know that if they come out really strong and put on some pressure and work hard early it will set the tone for the game," said Oilers center Derek Roy. "That's what we have to do. We're at home, we have to set the tone for the game."

Edmonton couldn't keep the Penguins at bay for very long in the second period, though. It took center Evgeni Malkin, in his first game back after missing five with a groin injury, just 24 seconds to make it 1-0. He jumped on loose puck after Fasth failed to smother it and put the Pens in front to stay.

"He generates a lot," Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. "Not only his scoring chances, but with his ability to set guys up and create space for players. I think that line generated more than anybody."

The Oilers, who had just two shots through 11 minutes in the second period and were being outshot 19-7 at one point, fell behind 2-0 when former Oilers winger David Perron scored with .4 seconds left in the second.

"I thought our first two periods were really good," said Johnston. "Credit the Oilers for putting a big push on in the third. They generated some momentum and had some good scoring chances.

"I think how we played in the first two periods is how we have to play. We talked about being more competitive around the crease and we got two goals out of it. We have to be better in those areas."

Edmonton pressed hard in the third period, as the Penguins protected their 2-0 lead, but couldn't break Fleury's seventh shutout of the season.

"I thought we played a sound game the whole game," said Perron. "We didn't change the plan at all. We kept going with is and we got the result at the end."

NOTES: The Penguins bolstered their lineup with the return of C Evgeni Malkin, who was out of the lineup for five games with a groin injury. The Penguins went 2-2 in those games and were shut out twice. ... Edmonton was without both LW Taylor Hall (leg) and LW Benoit Pouliot (foot). Both players are listed as day-to-day and will accompany the Oilers on their upcoming six-game road trip. ... Wednesday marked the first game back in Edmonton for former Oilers LW David Perron and C Mark Arcobello. ... Pittsburgh D Christian Ehrhoff (head) missed his third straight game. ... Oilers C Anton Lander put up as many points (eight) in 15 games this season as he did in 97 previous NHL games during the past four seasons. ... Oilers G Viktor Fasth started for the sixth time in eight games after starting just two of the previous 15.

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