Bruins’ defense dooms Penguins

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Petteri Nokelainen and Vladimir Sobotka scored less than two minutes apart during the first period and the Boston Bruins frustrated Pittsburgh with a smothering defense, then held on for a 2-1 victory despite allowing Evgeni Malkin’s third-period goal Wednesday night.

The Bruins were so strong defensively most of the game, goalie Tim Thomas saw only a single shot during one 15-minute stretch of the second period and faced only 11 during the first two periods. Malkin scored his 32nd goal of the season with about seven minutes remaining, his fourth goal in three games.

Malkin, moved to center on the Penguins’ top line after Sidney Crosby sprained an ankle nearly a month ago, piled up 15 points during a string of five consecutive multi-point games that moved him within three points of NHL scoring leader Alex Ovechkin of Washington. Pittsburgh had won its last three and four of five.

But with 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara on the ice nearly every time Malkin took a shift, Malkin was limited to a single shot until finally scoring on a power play created by Dennis Wideman’s second penalty of the third period. All but one of Malkin’s five shots came in the third period.

The Penguins never got anything else going against the Bruins, who were coming off a 3-2 loss at home to Carolina on Tuesday and had dropped four of five. Malkin has four goals in three games this season against Boston.