Penguins erupt in third period to down Ducks

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

When Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma shuffled the lines in search of a spark for his slumping offense, putting Evgeni Malkin and rookie Brian Gibbons on the ice together wasn’t what he had in mind.

Still, he’ll take it.

Gibbons converted a slick backhand pass from Malkin for his first NHL goal at 3:56 of the third period, starting a late burst as the Penguins beat the weary Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Monday night.

Called up from the minors 12 hours before the opening faceoff, the 25-year-old Gibbons was thrown immediately onto Pittsburgh’s third line. He ended up on the ice with Malkin after the Penguins were caught in the middle of a shift change.

While watching Malkin do a full lap through the Anaheim zone, Gibbons sprinted to the slot, took the pass and sent a shot over Viktor Fasth’s right shoulder to break a scoreless tie.

“I was just trying to get to the net and bang home a rebound or something,” Gibbons said. “Somehow it ended up right on my stick.”

Gibbons earned his first NHL assist 62 seconds later when Brandon Sutter deflected Olli Maatta’s shot from the point past Fasth.

Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf quickly pulled the Ducks within one, but Sidney Crosby’s 10th goal of the season capped a flurry in which the Penguins scored three times in just over four minutes.

The outburst was a welcome development for a team that for all its considerable offensive talent has struggled to score recently. The Penguins came in riding a 1-4 slump, scoring just one goal in each of the four losses.

“It was actaully a good game for us,” Bylsma said. “We wanted to be in that tight game and stayed the course and came through with a couple of big goals.”

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 shots for Pittsburgh as the Penguins leapfrogged Washington to move back into first in the Metropolitan Division. The teams will meet in the nation’s capital on Wednesday.

Getzlaf’s fifth goal in four games provided all of the offense for the Pacific Divison-leading Ducks.