Jeffrey scores 2 to help lift Pens

Associated Press

boston

The Pittsburgh Penguins are using hard work in the absence of captain Sidney Crosby and finding ways to win.

The effort added up to an overtime road victory against the Boston Bruins.

Dustin Jeffrey scored his second goal of the game 1:52 into OT and the Penguins snapped the Bruins’ winning streak at seven with a 3-2 decision on Saturday night.

“I just think it shows our team character,” Jeffrey said. “We talk about the losses, but we’re getting points, even if they’re overtime losses. We’re keeping pace and we’re two points behind the conference leader. With 16 or 17 games left, it’s something that we can reach.”

The Penguins moved two points behind Eastern Conference- and Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots, and Jordan Staal also scored for Pittsburgh, which had won only one of the previous seven — including four overtime losses.

Pittsburgh was again without Crosby, who missed his 26th game with a concussion, but Fleury kept the Penguins in it. Boston outshot Pittsburgh 7-2 early, getting a few good scoring chances.

“As we’ve said all year, we have a standard of the way we want to play,” forward Matt Cooke said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Sid and Geno [Evgeni Malkin] or it’s [Craig Adams] and Dusty [Jeffrey], we want to play that way. We want to model our team around a certain standard, and we’ve done that successfully. That’s our focus.”

David Krejci got the Bruins even at 2 when he scored with 33 seconds left in regulation while Boston goalie Tim Thomas was pulled for an extra skater.

Zdeno Chara had the other goal for Boston, which was on its longest winning streak since a 10-game run from Dec. 12, 2008, to Jan. 1, 2009.

Thomas finished with 37 saves but was beaten for the winning goal when Jeffrey broke in alone, after he stole a pass from defenseman Dennis Seidenberg.