Penguins land Neal from Stars to boost injury-hit attack

DALLAS (Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Penguins added some spark to their injury-hit offence by acquiring left wing James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen from the Dallas Stars for blueliner Alex Goligoski Monday.

With leading scorers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out with injuries, Neal, who was the third-leading goal scorer on the Stars, will be counted on to provide the Penguins' sagging attack with a boost.

Neal, selected by Dallas in the second round of the 2005 NHL Draft, has 21 goals and 39 points in 59 games this season.

Niskanen, the Stars' first-round selection in 2005, has no goals and six assists in 45 games.

Goligoski, who helped the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 2009, has been a workhorse on the Pittsburgh blueline logging over 20 minutes a game and scoring nine goals and 22 assists.

The 25-year-old defenseman also leads the Penguins in game winning goals this season with four.

"Alex is a legitimate top-four defenseman who will have a positive impact on our entire crops of blueliners," Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said on the team's website (http://stars.nhl.com/).

"He has averaged over 20 minutes per game and can play in all situations."

(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto, Editing by Frank Pingue)