Bruins’ streak at nine after beating Penguins

The 5-2 victory gave Boston its longest win streak in nearly 26 years.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Marc Savard scored a power-play goal, then set up Boston’s next two goals with excellent playmaking, and the streaking Bruins ran their longest winning streak in nearly 26 years to nine games by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 Tuesday night.

Savard had his usual big game against Pittsburgh, and Dennis Wideman had a goal and two assists as the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins improved to 23-2-1 in their last 26 games, outscoring opponents 106-51.

Boston, which barely made the playoffs last season, hasn’t had a run like this since the Barry Pederson- and Ray Bourque-led 1982-83 team won nine in a row in January, tied one, then won their next five. These Bruins are 14-1 since Thanksgiving and have won their last five on the road.

Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots to win his seventh in a row.

The Penguins dominated the conference playoffs last season, losing only two games in three rounds, but are going in the opposite direction of the Bruins. Pittsburgh lost its fourth consecutive home game and its sixth in eight. The Penguins are 7-10-1 since beginning November by going 7-0-1.

Even their two biggest stars aren’t contributing like usual. Evgeni Malkin, the NHL’s leading scorer, was held without a point, took a penalty that led to Savard’s goal and committed a giveaway that set up Phil Kessel’s go-ahead goal and made it 3-2 at 16:43 of the second period.

Sidney Crosby had an assist in his 250th NHL game, but gave away the puck ahead of Martin St. Pierre’s short-handed goal at 5:28 of the third. That goal came with the Penguins pressing to tie it but instead allowed the Bruins to take a 4-2 lead.

St. Pierre picked off Crosby’s pass, fed the puck to Savard, then got it back for his first goal since Feb. 14, 2007, and his second career goal, both against Pittsburgh.

Savard has 10 goals and 31 assists in 30 games against the Penguins, whose 2-1 win at Boston on Oct. 20 is one of only two home losses for the Bruins this season.

Kessel’s 23rd goal came only 90 seconds after Pascal Dupuis tied it at 2 for Pittsburgh. Malkin was attempting to make a short pass to Crosby when Kessel grabbed it, turned and shot. Savard gathered the rebound and made a cross-crease pass to Kessel, who beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from in close. Fleury faced 40 shots.

Wideman set up Boston’s first two goals, by Zdeno Chara off P.J. Axelsson’s cross-ice pass on a power play early in the second, and Savard’s 12th goal, which made it 2-1. Wideman scored midway through the third, the Bruins’ third goal in slightly less than 13 minutes.

Notes

Penguins C Jordan Staal became the youngest player to appear in 200 NHL games. Staal (20 years, 111 days) is four days younger than San Jose’s Patrick Marleau was when he played in his 200th during the 1999-2000 season. ... Pittsburgh is 8-8-2 at home. ... Petr Sykora’s 13th goal put Pittsburgh up 1-0 with three minutes left in the first. ... The Penguins are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games against teams that are .500 or better. ... Penguins D Hal Gill returned after missing 10 games due to a shoulder injury. ... Crosby has one power-play goal in 29 games; Malkin has none in 20.