Devils 3, Penguins 2: Ilya Kovalchuk snapped a tie with 6:10 remaining in the third period as host New Jersey erased an early two-goal deficit to defeat Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh for the third time in four outings.
David Clarkson netted his team-leading 15th goal, Travis Zajac also tallied and Patrik Elias notched a pair of assists for the Devils. Johan Hedberg turned aside 16 shots in his first action since March 19.
Matt Cooke and Jussi Jokinen scored while Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 29 saves for the Penguins, who have dropped two straight after winning 22 of their previous 24 contests.
With the score tied at 2-2, Kovalchuk's intended centering feed to Andrei Loktionov caromed off the stick of a backchecking Brandon Sutter and past Fleury for his 11th goal.
Jokinen gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead with 5:59 remaining in the second period, reeling in defenseman Kris Letang's long feed before his shot from the left faceoff circle sailed under the crossbar. Zajac answered just over 4 1/2 minutes later before Clarkson netted a power-play goal at 3:01 of the third.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh C Sidney Crosby will practice with the team on Friday. The Penguins' captain has been sidelined since breaking his jaw against the New York Islanders on March 30. ... Pittsburgh RW Jarome Iginla saw his four-game goal-scoring streak come to an end. ... New Jersey D Eric Gelinas made his NHL debut and registered one shot on goal in nearly 16 minutes of ice time.
Pittsburgh | New Jersey | |
Matt Cooke 1 | Points | Ilya Kovalchuk 2 |
Matt Cooke 1 | Goals | Ilya Kovalchuk 1 |
Marc-Andre Fleury 1 | Assists | Patrik Elias 2 |
Jussi Jokinen 1 | Power Play Goals | David Clarkson 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Marc-Andre Fleury .906 | Save Percentage | Johan Hedberg .889 |
Marc-Andre Fleury 29 | Saves | Johan Hedberg 16 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Pittsburgh | 18 | 2 | 1-3 | 2-3 | 6 | 25 |
New Jersey | 32 | 3 | 1-3 | 2-3 | 6 | 24 |