Alex Nedeljkovic made 44 saves to backstop the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-3 win over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.
Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell each had a goal and an assist and Evgeni Malkin, Noel Acciari and Bokondji Imama also scored for the Penguins (29-32-10, 68 points), who have won five of their last six. Crosby stretched his point streak to six games (six goals, four assists).
Captain Boone Jenner, Justin Danforth and Kent Johnson supplied the goals for the Blue Jackets (31-29-9, 71 points), who lost their sixth straight (0-5-1). Elvis Merzlikins stopped 28 shots.
Malkin opened the scoring 5:28 into the game when, while on his backhand, he knocked a loose puck off the stick of Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and into the net from just outside the crease.
The two teams then combined to score three goals in 1:02.
Acciari made it 2-0 with 6:09 left in the first when he won the faceoff in the Blue Jackets’ zone and then put in a rebound.
Jenner made it 2-1 16 seconds later when he tipped in a shot by defenseman Denton Mateychuk. It was Jenner’s first goal of the season after missing all but the last 13 games because of shoulder surgery during the preseason.
Rakell restored the Penguins’ two-goal lead with 5:07 left in the first period when he tipped in a pass from linemate Rust.
Columbus again halved the deficit when Danforth was credited with the goal after Pittsburgh defenseman Conor Timmins put the puck into his own net during a goalmouth scramble 1:35 into the second period.
Imama restored the lead to two once again on a one-timer from the inside edge of the left circle 8:15 into the middle period. Crosby made it 5-2 with 4:29 left in the second on a tip-in.
Johnson made it 5-3 3:45 into the third period on a shot from the bottom of the right circle after he walked from behind the net.
Rust added an empty-net goal with 1:57 left.
–Field Level Media
