Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Daniel Winnik scored the game-winning goal as the Pittsburgh Penguins halted a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.
Brandon Sutter provided an interesting tally, Sidney Crosby supplied a goal and an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves for the Penguins, who are only two points behind the New York Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Tobias Rieder's short-handed marker accounted for the Coyotes' lone strike and Mike Smith stopped 34 shots in the team's seventh straight loss.
"I think we played a solid game," said Rieder. "We made a couple of mistakes and that's what decided the game."
Pittsburgh, which was still missing injured forwards Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist, tied the game with an unorthodox power-play goal. Smith went behind his net to handle a loose puck, but his clear attempt bounced of Sutter and into the net 8:45 into the second period.
"I've never had one of those," said Sutter on his goal. "It was kind of a weird play."
Winnik put the Penguins in front with a tip-in of Kris Letang's shot off a faceoff with 7:39 left in the middle stanza.
Fleury made several saves in the waning minutes and Crosby scored on the empty net to seal the win.
Rieder started the scoring with a short-handed goal just 1:34 into the game. stripped Crosby of the puck in the neutral zone, skated up the right side and sent a cross-ice pass to Rieder, who beat Fleury blocker side.
Game Notes
Arizona was without forward Martin Erat, who sustained an upper-body injury in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Colorado ... The Penguins reached 40 wins for the eighth straight season, excluding the 2012-13 lockout-shortened campaign ... Pittsburgh forward Steve Downie played in his 400th NHL game ... The two teams will meet again in Pittsburgh on March 28.
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