PITTSBURGH -- If Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenceman Olli Maatta was nervous,
it certainly didnt show.
Klay Thompson Jersey . Maatta sealed the
Penguins season-high sixth straight victory when he scored on a third-period
penalty shot Thursday night, and Pittsburgh beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2. "I was
nervous, for sure, but I think thats the only move that Ive got and it worked,"
Maatta said. "I thought he got it at first and then I saw it go in so I was
pretty excited." Chris Kunitz scored his 19th goal, Pascal Dupuis and
Brandon Sutter each scored for the second consecutive game, and defenceman
Matt Niskanen also tallied for Pittsburgh, which has won 11 of 12 overall and a
season-high nine straight home games. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby added two
assists, extending his season-best point streak to nine games. He leads the
league with 51 points. Jason Pominville netted his team-high 16th goal and
Dany Heatley scored 3:13 into the third period for the Wild, turning a
three-goal deficit into a 4-2 game. "We were not ready to play the game hard
enough and thats something that we have to look at ourselves in the mirror,"
said Wild head coach Mike Yeo, a former assistant at Pittsburgh. "To come out
and get out-battled and outworked was disappointing." The Wild had an
opportunity to make it a one-goal game shortly after with a 5-on-3 power play
for 1:46, but the Penguins killed both penalties. Maatta was awarded a penalty
shot after he was hauled down by Jonas Brodin on a breakaway while coming out of
the penalty box. "Thats the game, depending on what happens there," Crosby said.
"If they score on that power play its a different game and theyre one away from
tying it." Instead, the 19-year-old Maatta, who made the team out of training
camp, scored his third career goal on his first career penalty shot, part of a
his first career three-point night. He is the second defenceman in team history
to score on a penalty shot. "To step up on a penalty shot like that, and put it
in was huge," Crosby said. "Its nice to see him capitalize. Hes been playing
well for us all year." Maatta and Niskanen, his defence partner, have also
shouldered the load while five of the teams top six defenceman missed a third
straight game. The bigger role for the young rookie includes increased minutes
-- he played almost a career-best 30 Wednesday night -- and matchups against the
oppositions top line. "Thats a tall order, but the confidence and steadiness and
consistency in which he played has been maybe the best in the last three or four
games," Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said of Maatta. The Penguins, playing for
the fifth time in nine nights, were also without star forward Evgeni Malkin for
the third straight game. Malkin, third in the league in scoring, injured his
left leg last Saturday at Detroit. Penguins forward James Neal returned to the
lineup following a five-game suspension for kneeing Bostons Brad Marchand in the
head during a 3-2 loss to the Bruins. Neal was involved in a fight and had an
assist. The Wild are in the midst of a stretch where they play seven of eight on
the road. They played their first game without starting goalie Josh Harding, who
was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Its a move that allows Harding time to
make adjustments to medication for his multiple sclerosis. Harding, expected to
return Dec. 27 at Winnipeg, led the league in goals-against average and ranked
second in save percentage entering Thursday. It was a homecoming for Wild
forward Matt Cooke, playing his first game in Pittsburgh where he spent five
seasons before leaving this past summer by free agency. Cooke, an instrumental
piece of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup run, has just 20 penalty minutes in 36
games this season, but he was a polarizing figure in Pittsburgh, serving
multiple suspensions for several hits. He was recognized in the first period
with a scoreboard video tribute. Dupuis opened the scoring 49 seconds into the
game, slamming home a rebound from the top of the crease. Niklas Backstrom had
trouble handling the initial shot, giving up a rebound -- tipped in the air by
Crosby -- that fell into the paint, allowing Dupuis to give the Penguins the
early lead. The Penguins struck less than two minutes into the second period as
Sutter scored his eighth of the season, a turning shot from the left faceoff
dot. Niskanen, who also logged nearly 30 minutes of ice time Wednesday at New
York, netted a power-play goal less than two minutes later with a slap shot from
the point that got past a screened Backstrom. Kunitz gave the Penguins a 4-0
lead seconds after a fight between Neal and Wild defenceman Keith Ballard, the
third fight in two periods. Crosby set up the goal with a no-look backhand pass
from the corner to Kunitz, who buried a one-timer past Backstrom. Pominville got
the Wild on the board 37 seconds later, re-directing Nino Niederreiters shot
behind Jeff Zatkoff, who won his sixth straight game. NOTES: The Penguins are
21-2 when scoring the first goal. .... Penguins forward Jayson Megna will miss
the next six weeks with a lower body injury. . Justin Fontaine, former Penguin
Mike Rupp and Nate Prosser were healthy scratches for Minnesota, while
Brian Gibbons sat out for Pittsburgh. The Penguins host Calgary Saturday, while
Minnesota visits the New York Rangers on Sunday.
Warriors
Jersey .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second
game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started
the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and
killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the
second man-advantage.
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Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice
squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice
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. -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the
offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a
championship.MIAMI -- Paul Goldschmidt is one of the hottest hitters in
baseball. Goldschmidt homered twice, tied his career high with four hits and
drove in four runs to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Miami Marlins 9-2
on Friday night. "Watch the kid, watch the way he stays with his approach, hes
dangerous," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. Goldschmidt hit a two-run
homer in the first, a 428-foot drive to left on an 0-2 pitch, before Chavez
homered to right on the very next pitch. He later fouled off six straight
pitches in the third before hitting another two-run homer, a drive to left on
the 13th pitch of the at-bat that made it 5-0. "However many I fouled off, all
of them were down and away, mostly really good pitches, and fortunately for me
he made a mistake," Goldschmidt said. It was the second career multihomer game
for Goldschmidt, who also connected twice May 18 at the Los Angeles Dodgers. He
is hitting .414 (29 for 70) with nine homers and 26 RBIs on the road, but .272
with three homers and nine RBIs at Chase Field. "Its still early in the season
so the stats are skewed one way or another so if you get hot for a week or
something when youre on the road compared to home," Goldschmidt said. "You just
try to go out there and play well. If it happens to be on the road, good. If its
at home, thats good, as well." Goldschmidt doubled to lead off the seventh and
singled in the ninth. He is hitting .440 (22 for 50) in his last 15 games with
seven homers, six doubles, and 17 RBIs. "Hes got a lot of talent," said Martin
Prado. "We are expecting a lot of things from him. Every time he goes to home
plate, were just waiting for something to happen." Eric Chavez homered and also
had four hits, and Gerardoo Parra and Prado had three hits apiece for Arizona,
which had 16 hits in all and won its third straight game.
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hope we can do this more often, it would sure help our pitching staff," Gibson
said. Trevor Cahill (3-4) won for the third time in four decisions following an
0-3 start, allowing one run, five hits and four walks in eight innings. He
walked his first two batters in the third before retiring 13 in a row, 10 on
groundballs. "As the game went along I was able to find my arm slot and worked
down in the zone," Cahill said. Last-place Miami matched its season-high losing
streak at six and at 11-31 equaled the 2006 Marlins for the worst 42-game start
in franchise history, according to STATS. "Unfortunately we got down and
obviously with our offence were just not able to make up that much ground,"
Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. Kevin Slowey (1-4) gave up six runs and seven
hits in three innings. "It was the second time in a week that I havent given my
team a chance to win and thats disappointing," Slowey said. Arizona led 7-0
before Rob Brantly had an RBI single for Miami. Greg Dobbs had three hits.
NOTES: Following the game, Marlins RHP Jon Rauch was designated for assignment
and recalled LHP Duane Below from Triple-A New Orleans. ... Diamondbacks OF
Jason Kubel (quadriceps) didnt play. "Its not great. Its kind of finicky,"
Gibson said. "Some days its OK. Some days its not." ... Miami OF Giancarlo
Stanton (hamstring), who has been on the DL since April 30, has been doing some
hitting in a batting cage and thinks he will be back before the All-Star break.
. ... Arizona RHP Brandon McCarthy (0-3, 5.63 ERA) faces Miami RHP Tom Koehler
(0-1, 3.31 ERA) on Saturday.
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