Pens take 2-0 Series Lead

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Carolina Hurricanes talked and talkedbefore the Eastern Conference finals about the importance ofslowing down Sidney Crosby. Maybe they forget about the Pittsburgh Penguins' other star, Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin put Pittsburgh ahead for good by scoring twice in thethird period of his first three-goal playoff performance, and thePenguins beat the Hurricanes 7-4 Thursday night to open a two-gamelead in the series.Crosby scored a record-tying sixth goal to start a playoff game,yet was upstaged by NHL regular-season scoring leader Malkin duringan exceptional effort that also gave Malkin the playoff scoringlead 25-24 over Crosby.

Malkin has four of Pittsburgh's 10 goals inthe series."It was a great game for me," Malkin said.Carolina had won five straight Game 2s, including the first tworounds this spring after losing Game 1 each time, but couldn'tmatch Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux era-like run-and-gun offensedespite rallying to tie three times.

The Hurricanes will host Game3 on Saturday night.Malkin, seemingly motivated by Carolina's attempts to be morephysical with him than usual during the second period, ended asuccession of strong shifts by scoring to make it 5-4 with 8:50gone in the third period."He played a determined game," teammate Bill Guerin said ofMalkin. "He's got that size and skill."Malkin, relying on his speed and offensive creativity to set upscoring chances on almost every shift in the final period, made it6-4 less than four minutes later with a one-man goal. He picked upthe puck in the corner, carried it behind the net and used a spinmove to put a backhander past goalie Cam Ward from a bad angle forhis 10th of the playoffs."It was a great shot," Carolina defenseman Dennis Seidenbergsaid. "I don't know who saves that. He's a great player and greatplayers, eventually they break out. Today was his day it seemedlike."Malkin didn't exactly call his shot, but Guerin and Max Talbotsaid Malkin told his teammates what he was trying to do on his lastgoal."We have set plays on faceoffs and he told me before the drawwhat he was going to do -- and he did it," Talbot said.Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said the play is called The Geno,Malkin's nickname."And for a reason," Bylsma said. "He pushed through and gotthe puck himself and, after that, it's just all him."As dozens of hats littered the ice, Malkin's father, Vladimir,repeatedly kissed his mother, Natalia -- the parents are visitingfrom Russia -- as Penguins fans cheered them almost as loudly asthey did the Malkins' son."It was good to do that for my parents," Malkin said. "I wasvery happy I could do that for them."

Ward had won his last five Game 2s, allowing an average of only1.18 goals per game, but couldn't handle the repeated flurries bythe Penguins, who have scored 29 goals in six games. Tyler Kennedyscored later in the third for Pittsburgh, and Talbot and ChrisKunitz added goals, with Kunitz getting his first in 24 games,dating to the regular season.

The Penguins, trying to become the first team since the 1984Edmonton Oilers to lose in the Stanley Cup finals one season andwin the Cup the next, won the first two games at home for thefourth time in six playoff rounds, dating to last season."This isn't going to be a four-game series, I'll tell youthat," Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason said.

Kunitz's goal with 7.3 seconds remaining in the second gavePittsburgh a 4-3 lead and was his first in the postseason since May11, 2007, with Anaheim. The Hurricanes, who came in averaging only2.3 goals per game, turned to its fourth line to get the goal backas Patrick Eaves scored 2:35 into the third during his third shiftof the game.Carolina stalled after that, unable to match Pittsburgh's speedor the repeated ability of its stars to find open ice for repeatedscoring chances.Crosby and Malkin, as usual, got it started.Crosby scored his 13th with 1:51 gone -- the sixth time he hasscored the opening goal in these playoffs. Bobby Hull of theBlackhawks (1962) and Edmonton's Fernando Pisani in 2006 also hadsix game-opening goals in a playoff year. Malkin scored slightlymore than six minutes later, but Carolina quickly came back eachtime as Chad LaRose and Jussi Jokinen scored.Seidenberg and Talbot traded goals ahead of Kunitz's score.Notes: Hurricanes RW Erik Cole (left knee) played but RW TuomoRuutu (right ankle) was held out. ... Carolina trailed Montreal 2-0in a second-round series in 2006 but came back to win four straighten route to the Stanley Cup title. ... Ward allowed only one goalon 70 shots in his first two Game 2s this spring. ... Carolina was0-for-3 on the power play and is 2-for-28 on the road in theplayoffs.

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