Penguins win in shootout, 2-1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Sidney Crosby show rolled into Vancouver for the first time Saturday night, but for the second straight defenseman Kris Letang and backup goalie Dany Sabourin were the story.

Crosby was held pointless for the second straight night and Letang scored the shootout winner, this time in the sixth round, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Letang, who beat Miikka Kiprusoff to seal a win in Calgary Thursday, faked Roberto Luongo with a leg-kick and went around him with a strong forehand deke.

“I had the chance to make the team win, so like last game I put the move in my head and just made it,” Letang said. “Just like Calgary, I had confidence. It’s not more confidence, I just had to do it again.”

Former Canucks backup Dany Sabourin made 35 saves for the Penguins in regulation and overtime, then stopped five of six in shootout as Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in eight games. Sabourin never started a game in Vancouver during his season with the Canucks, but he was very familiar with their shooters.

“Oh yeah, I was pretty familiar with what they were trying to do so that was an advantage for me,” said Sabourin, who was starting after Marc-Andre Fleury hurt his ankle in Calgary Thursday night. “I have to take it like just another game but to win against my old teammates, I think it’s a bonus for me.”

Petr Sykora scored in regulation as the Penguins completed a three-game sweep of their first trip through Western Canada since Crosby joined the team. Crosby was pointless for consecutive games for the first time this season, but it wasn’t for a lack of chances. He just couldn’t beat Luongo, who was runner-up to Crosby for the Hart Trophy as league MVP last season, but got the best of him Saturday.