BY THE NUMBERS: Pittsburgh 6 – Tampa Bay 3
  • With the win Friday night, Penguins have won nine straight home games against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Pittsburgh moved back into the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 53 points.
  • The Penguins scored three first period goals vs the Lightning and have an NHL best 46 first period goals
  • Pittsburgh was out-shot 35-29 and the Penguins are 11-6-3 when they are out-shot in a game.
  • The Penguins were 4-4 on the penalty kill, improving to 87.4% on the PK this season, third in the NHL, and were 1-2 on the power play with Chris Kunitz tallying his 12th goal of the season and sixth power play goal of the season.
  • Andrew Ebbett scored his first goal of the season and added an assist in the win. It was Ebbett’s first NHL goal since March 14, 2013, a span of 46 NHL games
  • Sidney Crosby collected his first four assist night of the season, the seventh game of his career with four or more assists. The last time Crosby had four or more assists in a game was against the New York Islanders on March 10, 2013, a five assist night vs the Islanders.
  • Evgeni Malkin netted his 17th goal of the season, the 257th of his career, and he is three goals away from tying Kevin Stevens for sixth all-time in Penguins history. Following his fight with Craig Adams at the morning skate, a situation Malkin says has been resolved, Malkin was the tone setter in the first period, collecting his eighth multi-point game of the season.

NOTABLE PLAYER PERFORMANCES
Steve Downie | 2 Goals, +3, 60.0 CF% (5v5) | Downie netted goals six and seven on the season in the Penguins 6-3 win, again showing chemistry with Sidney Crosby on the top line. After Alex Killorn scored at 11:18 of the third period to cut the Penguins lead to 4-3, Downie responded with a beautiful goal in front off a setup from Crosby, showing patience and slick hands. Downie has 4 goals, 9 points and a +8 rating over his last seven games. Downie has played a part in changing the complexion of this Penguins team and has also made his presence felt as a leader in the room, according to team officials.
Christian Ehrhoff | 1 Goal, +1, 67.4 CF% (5v5) 23:34 | Ehrhoff was credited with his third game winning goal of the season but it’s his intangibles in all facets of the game that continue to standout. A surprise with Ehrhoff has been how dominant defensively he has been due to great positioning and instincts. When Ehrhoff was on the ice, the Penguins controlled the play. Ehrhoff had a 67.4 CF% (5v5) as the Penguins had 31 shot attempts and just 16 against with Ehrhoff on the ice 5v5. Ehrhoff leads the Penguins with a +16 rating and has been on the ice for 29 (5 v 5 goals) and just 13 (5 v 5 goals against) this season.

Sidney Crosby | 4 Assists, +3, 55.9 CF% (5v5), 19:55 TOI | – Crosby’s four point night was his first multi-point game since November 28th and saw him move back into the top-10 in the NHL scoring race.

STAT TO KNOW
Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Ben Bishop
  • .733 save percentage in 33:39 vs the Penguins this season