Pens shut out by Minnesota

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Few goalies have shut down the Pittsburgh Penguins as often as Jose Theodore has. Facing them without Sidney Crosby made this win that much easier.

Theodore made 26 saves for his 30th career shutout, and the Minnesota Wild shut down the Crosby-less Penguins 4-0 on Saturday night. Theodore improved 19-4-3 all-time against Pittsburgh.

Theodore, 17-1-3 in his past 21 starts against Pittsburgh, has won each of the past four games in leading Minnesota to a season-high winning streak while starter Niklas Backstrom is out with a groin injury.

“Right now, we are rolling with him,” Minnesota coach Todd Richards said. “He is on top of his game.”

Chuck Kobasew, Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak scored for the Wild, who is on a 8-2-1 stretch and has won three straight road games for the first time since the start of the 2008-09 season.

The Wild are 9-2-1 against the Penguins. Minnesota has won six of seven games in Pittsburgh, having never allowed more than two goals in a game there.

Crosby missed his second straight game because of a concussion, and the NHL’s leading scorer isn’t expected to play Monday against Boston or Wednesday at Montreal. Pittsburgh is 21-12-8 in games Crosby has sat out and has won only one of seven games this season in which he didn’t play or didn’t record a point.

“Obviously we miss the best player in the game right now,” Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis said. “But I think we have a pretty deep team. We’ve just got to chip in, me included.”

Theodore saved a shot from in close by Evgeni Malkin, five minutes in. He also made a nice stop on Arron Asham early in the third. But without Crosby, Pittsburgh didn’t test him much beyond that and was shut out for the second time this season.

“I sensed a frustrated group over on the other side,” Richards said.

The Penguins have lost four of five and are 5-5-2 since having a 12-game winning streak snapped.