Penguins 4, Devils 1 (F)

Zach Parise, the Devils' leading scorer, had three shots Saturday.

newjerseydevils.com – Sidney Crosby had his first career hat trick at Mellon Arena, and the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped the Devils' five-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory Saturday night.

Mike Rupp had the lone goal for New Jersey, and Scott Clemmensen posted 31 saves in the loss.

Crosby, who has six goals in three games to give him a team-high 13 for the season, scored twice Friday night at Buffalo. He posted consecutive multiple-goal games for the first time in his career.

"Obviously this whole league is full of talented players, and then there's the elite players who are even more talented," Clemmensen said. "And when those guys are the hardest-working players on the ice, then that is scary good. Just scary good."

Petr Sykora also scored and Dany Sabourin made 29 saves for Pittsburgh. The Devils closed out November with a 7-6-0 mark.

Rupp added his second of the season in the third period.

Crosby has nine points in three games to give him 34 in 23 games this season.

Crosby scored just 1:21 into Saturday's contest. The Penguins' 21-year-old captain carried the puck into the offensive zone, splitting Paul Martin and Bryce Salvador to get in close on Clemmensen from the right side. He briefly lost control of the puck before spinning to the left of the crease and firing a turning backhand past Clemmensen.

"The guy never gives up on the play, that's for sure," Clemmensen said.

Crosby's second goal came midway through the third, when Evgeni Malkin took the puck off a turnover by Barry Tallackson and slapped it to Crosby, who was alone to the left of Clemmensen and made it 3-0.

"As great of a player he is, he's going to get his chances," Salvador said. "He's going to get his shots and make his plays. And you've just got to try to minimize them as much as you can."

Crosby added his third of the night on an empty-netter with 2:01 left to play.

Crosby assisted on the Penguins' first power-play goal in 17 chances by walking through the right circle and delivering a pass to Sykora, who was alone on the opposite side of the crease. He scored at 7:26 of the second.

New Jersey briefly made a game of it 1:54 into the third when Rupp roofed a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Sabourin high to his glove side. Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta assisted on the goal.

The Devils had scored 23 goals their previous five contests but were limited in their chances Saturday.

"We just didn't have it," Devils head coach Brent Sutter said. "For the first 40 minutes, we didn't play like we had been playing for 10-plus games, and it showed.

"I thought in the third period we played much better, but 20 minutes against a very good hockey team and you're down, 3-0. That makes it tough."

NJD NOTES
Gionta has five goals and five assists during a seven-game point streak but did not have a goal for the first time in six games.

with wire services