Crosby, Malkin score in Pens’ win

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

This is how the Pittsburgh Penguins expected to play, thanks to their big three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and ... Mark Letestu?

Crosby and Letestu scored power-play goals in the first period and the Penguins won their third in a row, ruining defenseman Sergei Gonchar’s return to Pittsburgh by beating the slow-starting Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Monday night.

Malkin also scored as the Penguins won their fourth in five games since losing three of four.

Letestu, a rookie with only one goal in 10 NHL games entering this season, has four goals to match Crosby for the team lead and has three assists.

Crosby, Malkin and Letestu each had a goal and an assist. Mike Comrie had two assists.

“My parents taught me how to work, and that’s kind of how I’ve gotten here and I think that’s why I’m getting success,” said the 25-year-old Letestu, who scored 21 goals in the AHL last season. “Maybe I’m capable of something we weren’t sure about.”

Penguins backup goalie Brent Johnson, making his third consecutive start, turned aside 32 shots and now is 4-0.

Johnson’s best stop came when he poked the puck off Mike Fisher’s stick as Fisher neared the net on a breakaway with the Penguins up 5-2 midway through the third period.

Gonchar, the power play anchor of the Penguins’ Stanley Cup finalist teams in 2008 and 2009, was on the ice for every goal in the first two periods as Pittsburgh took a 5-1 lead. An exasperated coach Cory Clouston benched goalie Brian Elliott after he stopped only 17 of 22 shots, with Robin Lehner playing the rest of the way.

Ottawa, a first-round playoff loser to Pittsburgh last season, is 1-4-1 — partly because of a power play that is only 2 of 24. That includes captain Daniel Alfredsson’s goal at 5:40 of the second period.