Pens, Malkin defeat Carolina in shootout

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Evgeni Malkin doesn’t necessarily go out on the ice with a game plan. The way he’s playing, he doesn’t exactly need one.

Malkin got his 22nd goal of the season then later scored in the shootout and the Pittsburgh Penguins edged Carolina 2-1 on Tuesday night.

With captain Sidney Crosby sidelined indefinitely with a recurrence of concussion-like symptoms, it’s Malkin who has taken up the scoring slack, with extraordinary results.

He followed up a five-point performance in a win over Tampa Bay on Sunday by skating 25 impressive minutes.

“He’s getting the lion’s share of responsibilities right now in a lot of areas and playing outstanding,” coach Dan Bylsma said.

Even if Malkin doesn’t agree. Though he fired off six shots at Carolina’s Cam Ward and had another half-dozen go just wide of the net, Malkin wasn’t entirely impressed with his play.

“Every game I have lots of chances but can’t score,” Malkin said. “Good goalies have played against us. Today, Ward, he was unbelievable.”

Ward stopped 40 shots but had no answer for Malkin or James Neal in the shootout, with Neal easily beating the veteran to lift the Penguins to their third straight victory following a six-game losing streak.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves and stopped Carolina’s Eric Staal’s backhand bid to extend the shootout as Pittsburgh won at Consol Energy Center for the first time in 2012, ending a four-game skid on home ice.

“We’ve got to keep [the losing streak] right close to us and we’ve got to keep going the same way and make sure that we keep playing the way that we know that we can and the way that’s made us successful over these last three games,” Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke said.

Despite Ward’s spectacular play and Jamie McBain’s fourth goal of the season — including his third against Pittsburgh — Carolina remained winless in Pittsburgh’s new building since it opened.