Pittsburgh 3, Buffalo 0
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, January 27, 2014
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees:
Tom Kowal, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen:
John Grandt, Pierre Racicot
Attendance:
18563
By SportsDirect Inc.
Penguins 3, Sabres 0: Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 24 shots to increase his franchise-best shutout total to 27 and Chris Kunitz tied his career high with his 26th goal as Pittsburgh posted its 15th victory in its last 16 home games.
Defenseman Deryk Engelland matched his career high with his fourth tally and Tanner Glass netted an empty-net goal to go along with an assist. Captain Sidney Crosby set up two tallies to extend his point streak against Buffalo to 16 games and Craig Adams also notched a pair of assists as the Penguins rebounded from their 3-0 loss to Dallas on Saturday.
Ryan Miller finished with 31 saves for the Sabres, who have dropped six of their last seven games (1-4-2).
Fleury highlighted his fourth shutout of the season by stopping 11 shots in the second period. The 29-year-old, who made 20 saves in Pittsburgh's 4-1 victory over Buffalo on Oct. 5, improved to 14-5-2 in his career versus the Sabres.
Pittsburgh drew first blood at 5:44 of the second period as Brian Gibbons hit the post before Kunitz's backhander found the mark. Engelland doubled the advantage nearly 6 1/2 minutes later by forcing a turnover by Buffalo defenseman Henrik Tallinder and lifting Adams' return pass past Miller.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Crosby has recorded nine goals and 17 assists during his point streak versus Buffalo. The superstar also avoided being kept off the scoresheet in consecutive games for the second time this season. ... Kunitz scored 26 goals during the 2011-12 season and Engelland netted four in the same campaign. ... Sabres RW Drew Stafford sat out after suffering an upper-body injury in Saturday's victory. ... Fleury leads the NHL with 29 victories. ... Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin played in his 500th NHL game.
Top Game Performances
Buffalo |
|
Pittsburgh |
N/A |
Points |
Tanner Glass 2 |
N/A |
Goals |
Tanner Glass 1 |
N/A |
Assists |
Craig Adams 2 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Ryan Miller .939 |
Save Percentage |
Marc-Andre Fleury 1.000 |
Ryan Miller 31 |
Saves |
Marc-Andre Fleury 24 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Buffalo
|
24 |
0 |
0-3 |
1-1 |
2 |
14 |
Pittsburgh
|
34 |
3 |
0-1 |
3-3 |
6 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Penguins have a W/L % of .703 after a win and .688 after a loss.
-
Buffalo will play their next game at home against Washington. The Sabres have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .324 after a loss.