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Penguins drop second consecutive game on road
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Penguins gave up three unanswered goals during the second period in a 4-1 loss to Carolina at PNC Arena tonight.
This is the first time the Penguins (13-8) have lost consecutive games on the road since last March 24 and 29.
They also failed to score a power-play goal for the first time in 13 games.
The game was Carolina center Jordan Staal's first game against the Penguins, with whom he had spent the previous six seasons. He did not get a point.
Chris Kunitz gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead -- the 11th time in 12 road games this season that they've gotten the first goal -- at 13:14 of the opening period, as he took a cross-ice feed from Sidney Crosby and beat Carolina goalie Cam Ward from just above the right dot.
Matt Niskanen got the second assist on that goal, Kunitz's ninth.
Eric Staal pulled Carolina even with just 24.1 seconds to go in the period, as he steered an Alexander Semin pass behind Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Jiri Tlusty put the Hurricanes ahead to stay at 4:03 of the second, as he knocked in an Eric Staal pass from the front lip of the crease, and Carolina's Jeff Skinner, who missed the previous five games because of a concussion scored at 5:49 to make it 3-1.
Any comeback hopes the Penguins had were snuffed with 10.1 seconds left before the intermission, as Tlusty beat Fleury after being left alone in front of the net.
The Penguins are off until Saturday, when they will visit Eastern Conference-leading Montreal at 7:08 p.m. to conclude their three-game road trip.
First Published February 28, 2013 9:43 pm
