National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 5, Winnipeg 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Rob Martell, Mike Leggo
Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Jay Sharrers
Attendance: 18627

Penguins 5, Jets 3: Brandon Sutter scored a power-play goal with 12:08 remaining in the third period to snap a tie and Patric Hornqvist added an empty-netter in his first game since Dec. 27 as short-handed Pittsburgh snapped its four-game losing streak (0-2-2) by cooling off visiting Winnipeg.

Nick Spaling recorded his first goal in 14 games, Steve Downie scored for the second straight contest and David Perron tallied for the fifth time in six games while also adding an assist for the Penguins, who were without captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (lower-body injuries). Defenseman Kris Letang notched a career-high five assists - including the 200th of his career - while also returning from injury and Thomas Greiss made 19 saves for Pittsburgh, which converted twice on three power-play opportunities after going 1-for-11 in its previous three games.

Rookie Adam Lowry broke a 12-game goal-scoring drought, Chris Thorburn scored for the second straight game and defenseman Jacob Trouba tallied in his second contest after missing 16 with a lower-body injury for the Jets, who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Evander Kane recorded three assists, Lowry and Thorburn each added one and Ondrej Pavelec fell to 2-13-1 against the Penguins after making 25 saves as Winnipeg has lost six straight meetings (0-5-1) and nine of the last 10 (0-9-1).

The Penguins got on the board at 7:09 of the first period, when Perron accepted a long pass from Letang near the red line and skated into the right corner before centering to Spaling, who one-timed a shot past Pavelec. The Jets got even as Thorburn drove to the net and tipped Lowry's centering pass over the right shoulder of Greiss at 2:13 of the middle session - 25 seconds after Thorburn's hooking penalty expired - for his third goal in four games.

After Trouba blasted a 55-foot shot past a screened Greiss at 12:47 to give Winnipeg a 2-1 lead, Downie banged in the rebound of Letang's shot with 4.6 seconds left in the period. Lowry's wrist shot from the high slot 59 seconds into the third put the Jets back on top before Perron poked the rebound of Letang's shot between Pavelec's pads 4:24 later and Sutter delivered his 10th goal when his centering pass from the right corner found its way past Pavelec.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Crosby on Tuesday participated in the morning skate and could return when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Wednesday, telling reporters: “It’s day-to-day and we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.” ... Malkin, who along with Crosby was tied for third in the NHL with 51 points entering Tuesday, isn't expected to skate for another 3-to-4 days, according to coach Mike Johnston. ... Hornqvist missed 11 games with a lower-body injury while Letang returned after sitting out one with a concussion. ... Lowry recorded his first career two-point performance while Penguins D Paul Martin notched two assists.
Top Game Performances
 
Winnipeg   Pittsburgh
Evander Kane 3 Points Kris Letang 5
Adam Lowry 1 Goals David Perron 1
Evander Kane 3 Assists Kris Letang 5
N/A Power Play Goals David Perron 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Ondrej Pavelec .862 Save Percentage Thomas Greiss .864
Ondrej Pavelec 25 Saves Thomas Greiss 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Winnipeg 22 3 0-0 1-3 13 24
Pittsburgh 30 5 2-3 0-0 7 23
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Penguins have a W/L % of .593 after a win and .550 after a loss.
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Jets have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .636 after a loss.