Bruins blank Penguins to keep Sullivan winless

Associated Press

BOSTON

Tuukka Rask stopped 34 shots for his fourth shutout, Jimmy Hayes ended a 15-game goal-scoring drought and the Boston Bruins beat Pittsburgh 3-0 Wednesday night, keeping new Penguins coach Mike Sullivan winless after his first two games.

Max Talbot and Ryan Spooner also scored to help the Bruins improve to 5-0-1 in their last six meetings with the Penguins. Boston is also 9-1-3 in its last 13 games overall.

Rask got his 30th career shutout and is 7-0-2 in his last nine starts.

Pittsburgh backup goalie Jeff Zatkoff had 26 saves as the Penguins lost for the seventh time in nine games (2-4-3). Top goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who started 25 of the first 29, is expected to miss 1-to-2 weeks with a concussion.

Sullivan replaced fired coach Mike Johnston on Saturday, and Pittsburgh lost 4-1 to Washington in his debut Monday.

Struggling through a season that had them in 11th in the Eastern Conference coming in, the Penguins were looking for a spark after they fired Johnston on Saturday.

The lack of goal scoring that’s plagued them for most of this season continued. Star center Sidney Crosby has just six goals in the team’s 30 games.

The Bruins grabbed a 1-0 lead when Talbot slipped a wrister by Zatkoff’s glove and inside the right post midway into the opening period.

Boston made it 2-0 on Hayes’ score 4 minutes into the second. Hayes was charging hard to the net with Penguins defenseman Ian Cole. Spooner’s pass toward the net hit Cole’s skate, popped into the air and deflected into the net.

CAPITALS 2, SENATORS 1

WASHINGTON

Braden Holtby made 26 saves to help Washington beat Ottawa.

Holtby lowered his NHL-best goals-against average to 1.83 and improved to 20-4-1. He has allowed three goals in his last three games, making 35 saves in a 2-1 victory at Tampa Bay on Saturday night and 44 in a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday night.

Michael Latta opened the scoring in the first period and helped set up John Carlson’s second-period goal. Washington’s Tom Wilson was hit with a late match penalty, and Bobby Ryan scored for Ottawa on the power play with 4:14 left.