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Malkin scores go-ahead goal on power play to lift Penguins over Oilers 3-2

Nov 1, 2017 | 9:30 PM

EDMONTON — A game against the struggling Edmonton Oilers was what they Pittsburgh Penguins needed to get their road trip back on track.

Evgeni Malkin scored the go-ahead goal on a power play in the third period as the Penguins snapped a two-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the Oilers on Wednesday night.

Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins (8-5-1), who are 1-2 on a five-game road trip.

“For the whole team, this was a big effort for us,” Hornqvist said. “We all played really hard. We went back to the old school, winning one-on-one battles out there. When we do that, we have a good team and, obviously, the power play helped us to win the game.”

Penguins goalie Matt Murray made 35 saves for the win.

“We’re working our tails off every night, that’s not the issue,” Murray said. “It’s just little subtle mistakes here and there, little lapses in judgment and that’s been hurting us. Tonight we tried to stay on our toes and just play an overall solid game, and I think we did that.”

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl replied for the Oilers (3-7-1), who continue to have issues to start the season with four losses in their last five games.

“We were right there, the whole game. There wasn’t much separating us,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “If anything, I thought we outplayed them a little bit. Right now it’s kind of tough to swallow.”

“Honest to God, I have nothing left to say,” Patrick Maroon added. “We just have to find ways to win hockey games right now.”

Pittsburgh looked to have scored eight minutes into the game as a Bryan Rust shot that rang off the crossbar was close enough to take a look at before being declared not a goal.

Murray made 12 saves in the Penguins net, while Oilers starter Cam Talbot faced nine shots in the scoreless first period.

The Penguins struck on the power play just 56 seconds into the middle period as Hornqvist tipped a puck in front past Talbot for his fourth of the season.

Edmonton tied it up a few minutes later on their own power play. Maroon sent a backhand pass from behind the net to Nugent-Hopkins, who scored his fifth goal of the season and the 100th of his career.

Less than a minute later, it was 2-1 for the Oilers as Connor McDavid made a no-look pass to allow Draisaitl to direct the puck into a wide-open net.

Sidney Crosby followed McDavid’s play with a similar pass on a two-on-one to set up a goal by Sheary with 22 seconds left in the second.

The Penguins went up 3-2 with 7:37 left in the third as Malkin tucked a wrist shot under Talbot’s arm on the power play.

Murray saved the game with 13 seconds left with a huge stop on Nugent-Hopkins in tight.

The Penguins play the fourth game of a five-game road trip in Calgary on Thursday. The Oilers next play host to the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

Shane Jones, The Canadian Press