Penguins rally for 4-1 win

Pittsburgh scored four goals in the third period to overcome Carolina.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Ruslan Fedotenko scored 32 seconds apart during Pittsburgh’s four-goal third period and the Penguins overcame Carolina rookie Brandon Sutter’s first NHL goal to rally for a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Sutter gave one of hockey’s most famous families another milestone, scoring off a Pittsburgh giveaway to put Carolina up 1-0 in the first — a lead that held up for nearly 2 1/2 periods.

Sutter, a 2007 first-round draft pick and the son of New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter, is the ninth member of the Sutter family to play in the NHL.

The 19-year-old Sutter grabbed the puck after Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik whiffed on a pass and, skating in from the blue line, beat Marc-Andre Fleury on a backhander at 13:07 of the first to score unassisted.

Carolina backup goalie Michael Leighton, starting again for Cam Ward after beating Anaheim 3-1 on Sunday, made the lead stand up until the Penguins — known for their scoring flurries — needed only two shifts to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead.

Niclas Wallin’s hooking penalty set up only the third power play of the game, and Crosby took advantage by converting defenseman Dennis Seidenberg’s turnover in the defensive end into his second goal, barely getting his stick on Evgeni Malkin’s slap shot from the right point at 8:15 of the third.

On the Penguins’ next shift, Fedotenko scored his first goal for Pittsburgh, off a cross-ice pass by Jordan Staal, the brother of Carolina star Eric Staal. Jordan Staal picked up only his third point in nine career games against his brother’s team.

Maxime Talbot stretched the lead to 3-1 at 11:51 of the third, also scoring his first of the season — Pittsburgh’s third goal in less than four minutes. Malkin, who was initially awarded Crosby’s goal, scored into an empty net — his third of the season — during the final minute.

Fleury played another strong game, making 24 saves to improve to 4-2-1 as the Penguins won their third in a row. Fleury returned after Dany Sabourin made 35 saves during a 2-1 overtime victory in Boston on Monday night.

Notes

The Penguins played without D Hal Gill because of an unspecified injury. ... Carolina was 0-for-1 on the power play and is 0-for-14 in its last four games. ... Ward sat out despite a 7-3-1 career record against Pittsburgh. ... Eric Staal has eight goals and 10 assists in 16 career games against the Penguins, but didn’t score. ... Carolina is 2-1-1 on the road and 1-1-1 during a season-high, six-game road swing. ... Fleury’s victory was his 80th in the NHL. ... Sutter is the nephew of Calgary GM Darryl Sutter.