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Crosby scores twice as Penguins beat Blackhawks

Pittsburgh,  PA  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Sidney Crosby had  two goals and Marc- 
Andre  Fleury  stopped 25 shots  to help the Pittsburgh  Penguins to a 4-1 win 
over the Chicago Blackhawks. 

James  Neal and Lee Stempniak also scored for the Penguins, who have won their 
past  two  to eclipse the  100-point mark  for a sixth  time in the past eight 
season. 

"They  put  a lot of  pressure on us  and I thought we  were able to handle it 
well,"  said  Crosby. "They started to  take a few  more risks later on and we 
were able to capitalize." 

Pittsburgh  sits comfortably  atop the Metropolitan Division, but still trails 
Boston by nine points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Sheldon  Brookbank  scored and  Corey Crawford stopped  23-of-26 shots for the 
Blackhawks,   who  have  dropped  four  of  five  and  are  one  point  behind 
Colorado for second place in the Central Division. 

"The way we've been playing lately is frustrating for all of us," said Chicago 
forward  Patrick Sharps. "But we're not trying to lay blame on any one person, 
we're just trying to figure a way to get out of it." 

Chicago  also took a blow as center Jonathan Toews left the game in the second 
period  with  an upper-body injury, appearing  to hurt his left shoulder after 
being driven into the boards by Brooks Orpik. 

Pittsburgh  scored halfway  through the first period on a 2-on-1 break as Neal 
opted to shoot and his wrister from the left wing sailed past Crawford. 

It  took  just 21  seconds for the  Pens to increase  their lead, as Stempniak 
took a pass at the right point and skated down to the circle before snapping a 
shot in for his 11th of the year. 

Chicago  got the only  goal of the second period, as Brookbank's shot from the 
left point made its way past Fleury. 

Crosby,  though, gave the Pens some insurance with 4:51 to play when his quick 
shot  from the  left circle on a  2-on-1 found the right corner, and he sealed 
the victory with the net empty and 1:16 showing on the clock. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  two times over the past eight seasons that Pittsburgh has not reached 100 
points  was a  99-point campaign  in 2008-09,  and a  72-point effort  in last 
year's  strike-shortened  season ...  Chicago hosts  Minnesota on Thursday ... 
Pittsburgh plays host to Carolina on Tuesday. 

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