Connor Clifton and Egor Chinakhov struck just 50 seconds apart in the third period to break open a tight game and send the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 win over Jack Hughes and the struggling New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Tommy Novak, stepping into the top-line center role while Sidney Crosby recovers from a lower-body injury suffered at the Milan Cortina Olympics, scored his 12th goal of the season. Blake Lizotte sealed the victory with an empty-net goal as Pittsburgh improved to eight wins in its last 10 games, climbing to second place in the tightly packed Metropolitan Division.
Goaltender Arturs Silovs turned aside 28 shots, earning his fourth victory in five starts.
Paul Cotter accounted for New Jersey’s lone goal, but the Devils continued their downward trend, losing for the seventh time in eight games and slipping further from the Eastern Conference wild-card picture.
Hughes — fresh off scoring the gold-medal-winning goal for Team USA against Canada — was honored before the game alongside members of the U.S. and Canadian Olympic teams. The Penguins crowd gave him a lengthy ovation, chanting “Huuuughes” and “USA! USA!” during the pregame ceremony.
Despite Crosby’s absence, Pittsburgh maintained momentum through steady goaltending and timely offense. Clifton’s point shot beat Jacob Markstrom 6:30 into the third to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead. Moments later, Chinakhov finished off a long pass from Evgeni Malkin, slipping the puck through Markstrom’s legs to extend the lead. The goal was his ninth in 19 games since joining Pittsburgh in a December trade with Columbus.
Up Next
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Devils: Visit St. Louis on Saturday.
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Penguins: Travel to face the New York Rangers on Saturday.
