Penguins Beat Red Wings On The Road

DETROIT (AP) – Evgeni Malkin is picking up the slack with Sidney Crosby out, making dazzling plays on offense and getting back on defense. Malkin and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and two assists to help the Pittsburgh Penguins build a two-goal lead midway through the second period en route to a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. The 33-year-old Malkin scored on a whirling shot that got past Jonathan Bernier midway through the second period, restoring a two-score lead with his eighth goal of the season and 399th of his career. “I’m thrilled with Geno’s game right now,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s having success at both ends of the rink.” Crosby missed his 13th game in a row, recovering from last month’s surgery to repair a core muscle. The Penguins have made up for the loss of the superstar by having an NHL-high 24 players score at least one goal this season. “It has helped us grab the points that we’ve grabbed over the last few weeks through some of the injuries that we’ve endured,” Sullivan said. “We have some pretty good offensive players that aren’t in the lineup right now.” Guentzel had his team-leading 16th goal early in the game, shortly after grimacing in pain on the bench. The winger appeared to score off his right skate, ending a sequence that started with teammate Bryan Rust laying on the ice in Detroit’s end without his broken stick and pushing the puck up the ice with his glove. Guentzel has been playing with Malkin instead of Crosby and is enjoying every shift. “He’s playing at a high caliber right now and it just fun to be a part of it and go along for the ride,” Guentzel said.  Matt Murray made 26 saves for his first win in nearly a month, helping Pittsburgh earn its third straight victory. He didn’t help his case to compete with Tristan Jarry for playing time, giving up two goals in the third period.