Sidney Crosby scored on a breakaway seven seconds after leaving the penalty box, Max Talbot scored short-handed and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Vancouver Canucks in regulation for the first time in 10 years, winning 3-1 on Wednesday night.
The Canucks were 7-0-1 against the Penguins since losing 4-2 on Nov. 3, 2000, and had won their last four in Pittsburgh.
Marc-Andre Fleury played his fourth consecutive strong game in goal since playing his way out of a slump in which he lost six of his first seven, stopping 29 shots. The Penguins won for only the fourth time in their first 10 games in the new Consol Energy Center.
Fleury was especially strong during the Canucks' five power plays, two resulting from Crosby penalties.
With Crosby scoring his seventh goal in seven games while generating numerous scoring chances, sometimes while paired with Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins bounced back from a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers on Monday in which they blew a late 2-1 lead.
Vancouver finished a 2-2-1 road trip, failing to take advantage of the game's first three penalties but also allowing Talbot pivotal short-handed goal at 5:44 of the second.
Fleury's best save came on a Henrik Sedin wrist shot from close range on a power play with Pittsburgh up 1-0 early in the second period. An undefended Daniel Sedin shot wide of the net off the rebound, and Talbot scored on a 2-on-1 break with Matt Cooke 24 seconds later.
Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo stopped Talbot's initial shot, but Talbot got the puck back and stuffed it inside the far post on a wraparound for his fourth goal and the first short-handed goal allowed by Vancouver.
Before that, Crosby jumped out of the penalty box late in the first period after Pittsburgh killed off his hooking penalty, collected Talbot's pass off the boards in stride and beat Luongo with an inside-out move for his 13th goal and second in five career games against Vancouver.
The Penguins stretched it to 3-0 - a rare big lead at home this season - when Arron Asham was the last to get his stick on the puck during a flurry in front of the net in which both Luongo and Christian Erhoff were sprawled in the crease.
Defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who turned down a Penguins offer to sign with Vancouver last summer, made it 3-1 by scoring 34 seconds later. Daniel Sedin passed up an open shot and slid the puck across the crease to Hamhuis for his second goal of the season, at 9:38 of the second.
The Sedins each had an assist after having seven points apiece in their previous three games.
