Late goal sends Penguins to defeat

PITTSBURGH – Brandon Dubinsky poked a pass from Matt Calvert past a sprawled Marc-Andre Fleury with 2:17 remaining to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
Pittsburgh’s Blake Comeau turned it over and the Blue Jackets quickly pounced. Calvert fed Dubinsky as Pittsburgh’s Steve Downie ran over Fleury. Dubinsky had little trouble tapping in his seventh goal of the season.
Scott Hartnell also scored for Columbus. Curtis McElhinney stopped 29 shots as the Blue Jackets won their second straight.
Evgeni Malkin picked up his 22nd goal for Pittsburgh. Fleury was brilliant at times while making 28 saves, but couldn’t stop the Penguins from losing for the fourth time in their last six games.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby was held without a point, though he tussled with Dubinsky in the second period. It was the seventh fight of Crosby’s 10-year career, although it couldn’t snap the Penguins out of a funk that has lingered for weeks. The Penguins fell to fourth in the Metropolitan Division after Washington topped Winnipeg 5-1.
The teams met in a spirited playoff series last spring, the Penguins surviving after six taut and highly entertaining games. Columbus hoped it would become a springboard to greater things, but it hasn’t happened. A groin injury to top goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t helped. Neither has an offense that struggles to produce goals.
Columbus would need a hot stretch run to come within earshot of the postseason. There are no such concerns in Pittsburgh, but the Penguins have been erratic at best even as the roster recovers from a series of injuries that decimated the team during December and January.
Pittsburgh couldn’t keep Alexander Ovechkin in check during a 3-1 loss to Washington on Tuesday, a game marred by a slash to the back of Kris Letang’s leg by Ovechkin that did not result in a penalty. The Penguins spent the last 20 minutes trying to retaliate, only to gift the Capitals the win by going two men down with five minutes to go.
Given 48 hours to regroup, Pittsburgh didn’t exactly look over it.
The Blue Jackets dominated the first period. Only some sublime play by Fleury kept the Penguins in it before Hartnell broke through. Alexander Wennberg jumped on a Pittsburgh turnover and found Hartnell on the doorstep for his 14th goal of the season.
McElhinney kept Pittsburgh at bay, including a marvelous glove save on Crosby from right post, before Malkin chipped in a rebound midway in the second period to tie it.
Frustrated by inconsistent play that’s limited him to just two goals in his last 21 home games – and by a steady dose of physical play from Dubinsky – Crosby dropped the gloves in the second. He landed at least one solid right hand on Dubinsky and received a rousing ovation for his efforts.
Still, it couldn’t put a halt to Pittsburgh’s sloppy play. Fleury fended off a 5-on-3 in the third period, but was no match when Comeau coughed it up and allowed Calvert and Dubinsky to race in a 2-on-1 that quickly became a 2-on-0 when Downie bowled over his goaltender.
Notes: The Penguins went 0 for 2 on the power play and are now 0 for their last 21 with the man advantage. … Dubinsky’s short-handed goal was just the third by Columbus this season. … Pittsburgh plays at St. Louis on Saturday. The Blue Jackets travel to Montreal on Saturday.