Streaking Pens down Rangers for 7th straight

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Sidney Crosby extended his point streak to 13 games and the Pittsburgh Penguins won their seventh straight by beating the New York Rangers 3-1 on Monday night.

The Penguins, 9-0-1 in their past 10, haven’t lost since falling to the Rangers at home in a shootout on Nov. 15. Their previous loss in regulation was Nov. 11 against Boston. It is the Penguins’ longest winning streak since another seven-game run from Oct. 8-23, 2009.

Pascal Dupuis scored in the first period, and goals by Kris Letang and Chris Conner in the second stretched Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-0. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 25 saves to earn his ninth win of the season.

Fleury has played in every game of the Penguins’ streak except for their previous victory on Saturday, when Brent Johnson beat Calgary on the strength of Crosby’s hat trick that included the captain’s 200th NHL goal.

Crosby, the leader in votes for the upcoming All-Star game, assisted on Letang’s fifth of the season. Crosby has 12 goals and 14 assists during his point streak. He is the league’s scoring leader with 41 points, two more than Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos.

Crosby hit the post with a shot in the closing minutes.

Marian Gaborik returned from a one-game absence, despite still feeling the effects of the flu, and scored in the second period to cut the Rangers’ deficit to 3-1 with his fifth goal. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 24 shots while making his fourth straight start following a two-game rest.

The Rangers earned a rare victory over the Penguins in the only other meeting this season, despite not having a single power play. But Pittsburgh re-established its dominance over New York in the rematch, improving to 18-5-8 since the start of the 2006-07 season.

New York had won four of five overall before Monday, including back-to-back wins over Florida and Nashville on its just-completed road trip.

The Rangers fell to 5-7-1 at home.