ATLANTA - Milan Kraft scored just 1:14 into the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Monday night.
Shean Donovan, claimed off waivers from Atlanta on Friday, scored his first goal for the Penguins. Randy Robitaille also scored, and Alexei Kovalev added three assists. Jan Hrdina added an empty-net goal in the final minute as Pittsburgh beat Atlanta for the fourth straight time this season.
J.P. Vigier scored for the third straight game for Atlanta, which fell to 1-7-1 in its past nine games. Tony Hrkac added a power-play goal.
Kraft picked up a rebound in the circle and took a shot that dribbled through the pads of goalie Pasi Nurminen for the eventual game-winner. Atlanta forward Lubos Bartecko nearly kept the puck out the net, swatting it away just inches past the goal line.
The goal was Kraft's eighth of the season.
Down 3-1, Vigier rallied Atlanta within a goal with his third career score. He stopped a rebound in front and shot past goalie Johan Hedberg.
Hrkac's goal came after a nifty pass from Jiri Slegr, who faked a shot from the point and deftly moved the puck to Hrkac. The shot easily beat Hedberg and defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, who threw his stick against the boards in disgust.
The Thrashers had several good chances to tie the game in the final minutes, but Hedberg made several spectacular saves, finishing with 22.
Nurminen started in place of Milan Hnilicka and stopped 23 of 26 shots.
Notes: Atlanta captain Ray Ferraro was a healthy scratch for the fourth time this season. ... The Thrashers fell to 7-8-2-0 in their past 15 home games. ... The Penguins improved to 17-23-4-1 this season without Mario Lemieux, who's out for the year with an injured hip.
Friday
January 31st, 2025
12:58AM
