NHL Kovalev leads Penguins to 4-1 verdict, first place

Alexei Kovalev had two goals and one assist to spark the team that was playing without Mario Lemieux and Martin Straka.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- To Alexei Kovalev and the Pittsburgh Penguins, it didn't matter that Mario Lemieux and Martin Straka didn't play.
Kovalev scored twice and added an assist Friday, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins into first place with a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Pittsburgh played without owner-captain Lemieux, the league scoring leader; he was sidelined with the flu. Straka sat out with a hamstring injury incurred Wednesday against Philadelphia.
"Last season we played quite a bit without Mario," said Kovalev. "There's some sense of responsibility, but we have a lot of balance. We knew we had to come up with a big effort."
Fourth in row
Jan Hrdina and Ville Nieminen also scored for Pittsburgh, winner of four straight. Johan Hedberg made 43 saves as the Penguins moved atop the Atlantic Division after the Philadelphia Flyers lost 3-0 to Toronto earlier Friday.
Stu Barnes scored for Buffalo, which has been limited to one goal in four of its last six games.
"We knew they were going to jump out hard," said Hedberg.
"I felt like I was in the right spots, and played a patient game."
Hedberg improved to 5-1-1 against Buffalo. Sabres goalie Martin Biron, meanwhile, fell to 1-9-1 against Pittsburgh.
"We had 40-plus shots and could have had 60," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "If our key players don't finish with the opportunities they have, then we have no chance of winning."
Power-play goals
The Penguins took a 2-0 lead on a pair of power-play goals 27 seconds apart in the second period.
Kovalev snapped a scoreless tie, firing a slap shot from the right point past Biron. Hrdina, in the slot, tipped home Kovalev's shot taken from the center of the blue line.
The goals extended Pittsburgh's streak to seven games with at least one power-play goal. The unit is three games shy of its season-long 10-game streak, achieved between Games 2-11.
"It gave us some room to work with," said Hedberg.
Kovalev added his second of the night in the third period. He fired a slap shot from the left faceoff circle over Biron's left shoulder.
Shutout spoiled
Barnes spoiled Hedberg's shutout with 10:31 remaining. He scooped up a loose puck in the slot and scored on a wrist shot.
"I don't know if the 27 seconds is what cost us the game. The fact that we had as many chances as we did and didn't put them in the net was the big thing," Barnes said.
Nieminen scored a short-handed empty-net goal with 15.8 seconds left.
The Penguins were held without a shot until 8:59 remained in the first period. Buffalo held Pittsburgh to four shots in the opening period.