National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 5, NY Rangers 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, January 3, 2014
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Greg Kimmerly, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen: Scott Driscoll, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance: 18668

Penguins 5, Rangers 2: Jussi Jokinen and Chris Kunitz each scored twice as Pittsburgh won its 11th straight home game.

Captain Sidney Crosby recorded a goal and two assists for the Penguins, who haven't lost at Consol Energy Center since Nov. 13. Kunitz also set up a tally, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots and rookie Brian Gibbons added two assists for his second career multi-point performance.

Mats Zuccarello scored and set up a goal, defenseman Ryan McDonagh also tallied and Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves for the Rangers, who lost for just the second time in six games. The defeat dropped New York to 2-2-0 on its five-game road trip, which concludes Saturday in Toronto.

Kunitz kicked off the scoring during a power play 13:09 into the game, sliding home an incredible back-skate redirect pass from Crosby at the front edge of the crease. Jokinen doubled the lead at 18:40, gathering a centering pass from Gibbons and snapping in a shot off the far post.

Jokinen's second of the night off another feed from Gibbons made it 3-0 just 69 seconds into the middle period, and Crosby padded the advantage with 1:31 remaining in the session by lifting a backhand shot that beat Lundqvist high to the glove side. Zuccarello ended Fleury's shutout bid at 7:43 of the third and McDonagh got New York within two just over four minutes later, but Kunitz put it out of reach with a well-placed shot from below the right faceoff circle that eluded a diving Lundqvist.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Jokinen halted a 14-game goalless drought. ... The Penguins are one win shy of equaling the longest home streak in franchise history, set last Feb. 22-March 30. ... Pittsburgh, which came into the night with the league's top power play (25.5 percent), went 1-for-2 with the man advantage. ... Rangers RW Derek Dorsett suffered a broken fibula while blocking a shot late in the first period and will miss four-to-six weeks.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Rangers   Pittsburgh
Mats Zuccarello 2 Points Chris Kunitz 3
Mats Zuccarello 1 Goals Chris Kunitz 2
Mats Zuccarello 1 Assists Sidney Crosby 2
N/A Power Play Goals Chris Kunitz 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Henrik Lundqvist .821 Save Percentage Marc-Andre Fleury .943
Henrik Lundqvist 23 Saves Marc-Andre Fleury 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Rangers 35 2 0-3 1-2 6 34
Pittsburgh 28 5 1-2 3-3 8 33
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Penguins have a W/L % of .733 after a win and .615 after a loss.
  • NY Rangers will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Rangers have a W/L % of .350 after a win and .591 after a loss.