Blues OT win snaps Pens’ home streak

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The St. Louis Blues gave Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins a quick reality check.

Stifling the game’s best player at nearly every turn in his second game back from concussion-like symptoms, the Blues dominated the Penguins for two periods before escaping with a 3-2 overtime win on Wednesday night.

Alex Pietrangelo took a feed from Vladimir Sobotka and deked past Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, slipping the puck into a wide-open net with less than a minute to go in the extra session to put a sudden halt to the Penguins’ six-game home winning streak and put an abrupt end to the giddiness surrounding Crosby’s return to the game following a 10-month layoff.

Crosby, who scored twice and added two assists in his season debut against the New York Islanders on Monday, was held scoreless in more than 18 minutes of ice time and took three uncharacteristic penalties.

“The first two periods weren’t good, no real explanation or excuses,” Crosby said. “I think we were outplayed and the third we were much more desperate and got to our game a little more and got our results, but we didn’t deserve that one.”

Scott Nichol and Jamie Langenbrunner also scored for the Blues, while Brian Elliott stopped 31 shots, most of them coming in a frenzied third period in which the Penguins awoke from a two-period nap.

“The first two periods were the best periods that we played all year,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We did everything we needed to do, except extend the lead and then we’re in a track meet in the third period.”

One the Blues narrowly survived.

Steve Sullivan kick started the Penguins with a slap shot from the point early in the third period to tie it at 1. Langenbrunner stuffed the puck past Fleury to put the Blues back in front. Pittsburgh’s James Neal collected his 13th goal to tie the game at 2 with less than 6 minutes left in regulation.

Elliott, who entered the night leading the league in goals-against average, kept his head about him even as the Penguins buzzed behind Crosby.

“You have to respect him, but you don’t want to just sit there and watch him either,” Elliott said. “You just have to play him honestly like everybody else and just be aware when he is on the ice.”

Something the Islanders failed to do on Monday, as Crosby playing so brilliantly he spent the next day fielding questions on whether he could catch Toronto’s Phil Kessel for the scoring title despite missing the first 20 games of the season.

St. Louis put a quick stop to that.

“We tried to play him tough all night,” Pietrangelo said. “I thought we did a pretty good job. I mean he’s going to get chances, he’s a good player, so to keep him off the score sheet, it’s a good feeling.”