NHL Panthers extend Penguins' skid

Niklas Hagman broke out of a long scoring slump to pace Florida's 5-1 win.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's Niklas Hagman finally broke out of his slump.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, meanwhile, are still searching for answers.
Hagman snapped a 30-game scoring drought with two goals in the Panthers' 5-1 victory Thursday night, which extended the Penguins' franchise-record losing streak to 13 games.
"It's a long time since I've scored," said Hagman, whose last goal came Nov. 16. "I was happy that I managed to get another one, too. Hopefully, it continues now."
Darcy Hordichuk, Olli Jokinen and Valeri Bure also scored for the Panthers, who have won three in a row for the first time this season. The victory was Florida's eighth straight against Pittsburgh.
Penguins nearing record
The Penguins' losing streak is four shy of the NHL record shared by the Washington Capitals (1974-75) and San Jose Sharks (1992-93).
"I don't know if it will all come together, but certainly positive play or a win certainly will help obviously stop the bleeding," Penguins coach Ed Olczyk said.
Olczyk was happy with his team's effort in the first and third periods, when Pittsburgh out-shot Florida 26-11.
But the Panthers put the game away in the second, when they set a franchise record with 26 shots and took a 4-1 lead. Florida scored three straight goals after Ryan Malone tied the game for the Penguins.
Hagman did the most damage in the second period -- his goals turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 Florida advantage.
The go-ahead goal came with the Panthers short-handed. Pittsburgh goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin was caught out of his net trying to play the puck, and Matt Cullen stole it from him in the corner and passed in front to Hagman, who shot into the open goal.
"They were really good in the second period, and we couldn't keep up," Pittsburgh defenseman Marc Bergevin said. "They got the goal, and we seemed to get down."
Cuts Islanders' lead
Florida, which will embark on a six-game road trip, its longest of the season, moved within seven points of the New York Islanders for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
"It was obviously a big win for us," Jokinen said. "For us, every game is big. It was good to get a few wins here at home before hitting the road. The next road trip is going to be huge for us. We need four or five wins there to stay in the hunt."
For the Penguins, just one victory would do.
"Every night it's kind of the same story," Bergevin said. "We're sitting here and trying to give you a reason why. It's tough."