James Neal nets seventh goal as Penguins knock off Canadiens

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Take your time Sidney Crosby. At the rate James Neal is going, there’s no need to hurry back.

Neal continued his scorching October, scoring his NHL-leading seventh goal as the Penguins beat struggling Montreal 3-1 on Thursday.

“Things are going good, I’m feeling good, the team’s rolling,” Neal said. “You keep doing the right things, hopefully they’ll keep coming.”

They’re the goals Neal thought he would score last spring after arriving in a trade from Dallas. He managed just one tally in 20 games with Pittsburgh and was ineffective in a loss to Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs.

Yet there’s something about October that brings out the best in Neal, who has 34 points in 33 career games in the month. His goal Thursday came with the kind of luck he lacked last season. His shot from the circle clanged off the post then hit goalie Carey Price in the back before rolling across the goal line and lifting him into a tie with Toronto’s Phil Kessel for the league lead.

“When you’re doing the right things and you’re playing with speed, you know you’re a tough team to play against,” Neal said.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots and Joe Vitale and Arron Asham added their first goals of the season for the busy Penguins.

Pittsburgh has played a league-high nine times in the season’s first two weeks, including a pair of trips out west. The hectic schedule has taken a toll on the number of healthy bodies available, though the Penguins were buoyed by the return of defenseman Brooks Orpik and reserve Dustin Jeffrey.

Orpik played more than 17 minutes in his first game of the season. He sat out the first two weeks while recovering from abdominal surgery. His presence was sorely needed for a team missing defenseman Kris Letang, who sat out his second straight game while serving a two-game suspension for an illegal hit in Winnipeg on Monday.

“I felt better as the game went on,” Orpik said. “If it was up to me I would have probably played more.”