National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 6, Edmonton 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 12, 2015
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Greg Kimmerly, Dean Morton
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Jean Morin
Attendance: 18662

Penguins 6, Oilers 4: Fourth-liner Steve Downie scored with 5:22 remaining in the third period as host Pittsburgh rebounded after squandering a four-goal lead to outlast Edmonton.

Brandon Sutter scored twice in the first period and captain Sidney Crosby collected a goal and two assists for the Penguins, who improved to 7-1-1 in their last nine contests. Former Oiler David Perron and Patric Hornqvist also tallied, Daniel Winnik notched two assists and Evgeni Malkin had one to reach 700 career points.

Jordan Eberle and Derek Roy each recorded a goal and assist and Benoit Pouliot and Anton Lander added one power-play tally apiece for skidding Edmonton, which has dropped six in a row (0-5-1). Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists and Richard Bachman made 19 saves in relief of Ben Scrivens, who yielded four goals on 13 shots.

Maxim Lapierre skated into the offensive zone and wristed a shot from above the right circle that handcuffed Bachman, allowing Downie to tuck home the loose puck and give Pittsburgh a 5-4 lead. Hornqvist provided insurance 66 seconds later, one-timing Crosby's feed from the edge of the right circle for his 23rd goal.

After Crosby's one-timer from the right circle gave Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead just 61 seconds into the second, Lander and Eberle cleaned up rebounds over three minutes apart to cut the deficit in half. Marc-Andre Fleury (25 saves) lost his stick leading to Pouliot's power-play goal at 4:51 of the third, and Pittsburgh defenseman Derrick Pouliot's clearing attempt caromed off Roy and into the net to tie the game midway into the session.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Malkin became the fourth player in franchise history to reach the 700-point plateau with the club, joining Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Crosby. ... With his team short-handed, Sutter converted on a breakaway to open the scoring 4:16 into the first period and beat Edmonton D Mark Fayne to a loose puck in front at 9:37. ... The Oilers have allowed five power-play goals in the last three games after stopping all 10 short-handed situations in the previous four contests.
Top Game Performances
 
Edmonton   Pittsburgh
Jordan Eberle 2 Points Sidney Crosby 3
Jordan Eberle 1 Goals Brandon Sutter 2
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 2 Assists Sidney Crosby 2
Anton Lander 1 Power Play Goals Sidney Crosby 1
N/A Short Handed Goals Brandon Sutter 1
Richard Bachman .905 Save Percentage Marc-Andre Fleury .862
Richard Bachman 19 Saves Marc-Andre Fleury 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Edmonton 29 4 2-4 2-3 13 29
Pittsburgh 34 6 1-3 2-4 15 32
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Boston. The Penguins have a W/L % of .564 after a win and .607 after a loss.
  • Edmonton will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Oilers have a W/L % of .278 after a win and .260 after a loss.