Perron’s two goals, assist power Penguins past Wild

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

David Perron scored twice and added an assist to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins by the reeling Minnesota Wild 7-2 on Tuesday night.

Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins.

Marcel Goc and Brandon Sutter also scored for Pittsburgh.

Sidney Crosby collected three assists for the Penguins, who had little trouble with the floundering Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves, including several key stops early to give his teammates time to find a rhythm.

Niklas Backstrom stopped 29 of the 35 shots before being pulled following Letang’s goal midway through the third period. Jonas Brodin and Justin Fontaine scored for the Wild, who never led.

Minnesota has lost six straight and 12 of its last 14, , doing embattled coach Mike Yeo few favors as the team continues to sink toward the bottom of the Western Conference.

Minnesota has been one of the league’s biggest disappointments at the season’s halfway point, wasting any momentum carried over from last year’s surprise run the second round of the playoffs.

The opening 20 minutes against the Penguins was a microcosm of the last three frustrating months. Minnesota dominated at stretches early thanks to some sloppy play by Pittsburgh, which gave the puck away in its own end with alarming regularity. Yet the Wild couldn’t convert on several glistening opportunities and once the Penguins found their footing, Minnesota was simply no match.