Crosby Scores in First Trip to Garden As Penguins Hold On To Beat Rangers

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The New York Sun

Sidney Crosby scored in his first game at Madison Square Garden and Mario Lemieux picked on a familiar opponent last night in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 victory over the Rangers.


Crosby had never been in Manhattan before Sunday, but he looked totally comfortable on the ice as he scored his fifth goal in his 15th NHL game. Crosby has three goals and two assists through the first four games of the Penguins’ longest road trip of the season. He has scored a point in 13 games overall.


Ziggy Palffy also scored, and Sebastien Caron made 35 saves in his sixth straight start for the Penguins (4-6-5), who rebounded from a 6-3 loss at Boston on Saturday and moved out of last place in the Atlantic Division.


Lemieux has 61 goals and 71 assists in 68 games against the Rangers.


Ryan Hollweg broke up Caron’s shutout bid at 6:51 of the third period with his first NHL goal and Marcel Hossa got the Rangers to 3-2 with 6:24 left. But despite 13 third-period shots and a late power play, the Atlantic leaders had a two-game winning streak snapped. Jaromir Jagr’s 12-game point streak was also ended by his former club.


Pittsburgh’s stars did the big damage. Crosby took a pass from Ric Jackman as he streaked freely down the slot. He shifted the puck on his stick – moving right and then left – before sending it past Kevin Weekes to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead with 1:57 left in the second period.


The goal quieted the fans, who minutes earlier were on their feet cheering when former Rangers captain Mark Messier was shown on the center ice scoreboard. Crosby’s latest score left him just 689 behind Messier,who is seventh on the NHL’s career list.


Lemieux is right behind him, and his sixth of the season gave Pittsburgh a rare early lead and moved him within five goals of Messier’s total of 694. The Penguins’ captain-owner took a crisp pass from defenseman Sergei Gonchar and fired it past Weekes to make it 1-0 at 15:20 of the first period.


Pittsburgh scored first for only the third time this season, but second on this five-game road trip that ends Wednesday in Atlanta. It was also the Penguins’ second 2-0 lead of the season, both in the last three games.


The other was in a 5-1 win last Thursday at the Islanders when Crosby netted two goals for the first time in the NHL. Pittsburgh has won four of six after losing its first nine games.


Pittsburgh’s lead grew to a seasonbest 3-0 just 3:42 into the third period when Palffy rifled a shot in from the right circle as teammate Matt Murley jumped in front of Weekes.


Palffy had a chance to stretch the lead further at 5:54 when he was awarded a penalty shot after being pulled down on a short-handed breakaway. But his hard shot was kicked out by Weekes’s right pad.


Just 57 seconds later, Hollweg took a pass in the slot from Jason Ward and ripped a shot in to make it 3-1.


Penguins winger John LeClair is still out indefinitely with broken bones in his face after being struck by a puck Saturday in practice.


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