Written by the AP at CBC.ca
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is just happy to be back playing hockey again.
His teammates feel the same way, as a goal from Crosby in his first appearance of the season was all the Penguins needed to overcome a slow start
Crosby jump-started a comeback as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from an early two-goal deficit to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night.
“We started off behind the 8-ball there getting down, but we stayed in it and had a big second half,” Crosby said.
Crosby, who scored on the power play, missed the team’s first six games with a concussion.
Carl Hagelin and Eric Fehr also scored for the Penguins, who extended a seven-game unbeaten streak against the Panthers.
Murray returns as backup
Marc-Andre Fleury, who has started the first seven games of the season for Pittsburgh, stopped 20 shots. Matt Murray, who backstopped the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in June, served as the backup to Fleury after missing the first six games with a broken hand.
Reilly Smith scored a power-play goal and Mark Pysyk also scored for the Panthers, who have lost 11 of 12 against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
James Reimer made 19 saves in his second start of the season.
Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr returned to Pittsburgh where he won two Stanley Cups and five scoring titles, totalling 1,079 points in 806 games from 1990-01.
The Penguins honoured Jagr, the No. 5 pick in the 1990 NHL draft, during Tuesday’s morning skate with a commemorative plaque made out of material from the Civic Arena roof. The 44-year-old Jagr, who is in his 23rd NHL season, ranks third all-time in NHL history in goals and points. Jagr played his 1,635th career game, tying Scott Stevens for seventh all-time.
“For the most part, it was a good game, especially the first two periods,” Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. “I thought we played hard and played really well, but then we let it get away from us.”
Crosby cut the Panthers’ lead to 2-1 in the second period. Crosby, who was wide open in the slot, had to reach for a pass from Evgeni Malkin, but recovered to whip a shot from the slot over Reimer’s shoulder.
“I had some time, so you want to make sure you put that one in when you have that much time,” Crosby said.
Hagelin tied it in the third when he sent a shot underneath Reimer’s arm during a 2-on-1.
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