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PITTSBURGH -- If Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenceman Olli Maatta was nervous, it certainly didnt show. Maatta sealed the Penguins season-high sixth straight victory when he scored on a third-period penalty shot Thursday night, and Pittsburgh beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2. "I was nervous, for sure, but I think thats the only move that Ive got and it worked," Maatta said. "I thought he got it at first and then I saw it go in so I was pretty excited." Chris Kunitz scored his 19th goal, Pascal Dupuis and Brandon Sutter each scored for the second consecutive game, and defenceman Matt Niskanen also tallied for Pittsburgh, which has won 11 of 12 overall and a season-high nine straight home games. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby added two assists, extending his season-best point streak to nine games. He leads the league with 51 points. Jason Pominville netted his team-high 16th goal and Dany Heatley scored 3:13 into the third period for the Wild, turning a three-goal deficit into a 4-2 game. "We were not ready to play the game hard enough and thats something that we have to look at ourselves in the mirror," said Wild head coach Mike Yeo, a former assistant at Pittsburgh. "To come out and get out-battled and outworked was disappointing." The Wild had an opportunity to make it a one-goal game shortly after with a 5-on-3 power play for 1:46, but the Penguins killed both penalties. Maatta was awarded a penalty shot after he was hauled down by Jonas Brodin on a breakaway while coming out of the penalty box. "Thats the game, depending on what happens there," Crosby said. "If they score on that power play its a different game and theyre one away from tying it." Instead, the 19-year-old Maatta, who made the team out of training camp, scored his third career goal on his first career penalty shot, part of a his first career three-point night. He is the second defenceman in team history to score on a penalty shot. "To step up on a penalty shot like that, and put it in was huge," Crosby said. "Its nice to see him capitalize. Hes been playing well for us all year." Maatta and Niskanen, his defence partner, have also shouldered the load while five of the teams top six defenceman missed a third straight game. The bigger role for the young rookie includes increased minutes -- he played almost a career-best 30 Wednesday night -- and matchups against the oppositions top line. "Thats a tall order, but the confidence and steadiness and consistency in which he played has been maybe the best in the last three or four games," Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said of Maatta. The Penguins, playing for the fifth time in nine nights, were also without star forward Evgeni Malkin for the third straight game. Malkin, third in the league in scoring, injured his left leg last Saturday at Detroit. Penguins forward James Neal returned to the lineup following a five-game suspension for kneeing Bostons Brad Marchand in the head during a 3-2 loss to the Bruins. Neal was involved in a fight and had an assist. The Wild are in the midst of a stretch where they play seven of eight on the road. They played their first game without starting goalie Josh Harding, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Its a move that allows Harding time to make adjustments to medication for his multiple sclerosis. Harding, expected to return Dec. 27 at Winnipeg, led the league in goals-against average and ranked second in save percentage entering Thursday. It was a homecoming for Wild forward Matt Cooke, playing his first game in Pittsburgh where he spent five seasons before leaving this past summer by free agency. Cooke, an instrumental piece of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup run, has just 20 penalty minutes in 36 games this season, but he was a polarizing figure in Pittsburgh, serving multiple suspensions for several hits. He was recognized in the first period with a scoreboard video tribute. Dupuis opened the scoring 49 seconds into the game, slamming home a rebound from the top of the crease. Niklas Backstrom had trouble handling the initial shot, giving up a rebound -- tipped in the air by Crosby -- that fell into the paint, allowing Dupuis to give the Penguins the early lead. The Penguins struck less than two minutes into the second period as Sutter scored his eighth of the season, a turning shot from the left faceoff dot. Niskanen, who also logged nearly 30 minutes of ice time Wednesday at New York, netted a power-play goal less than two minutes later with a slap shot from the point that got past a screened Backstrom. Kunitz gave the Penguins a 4-0 lead seconds after a fight between Neal and Wild defenceman Keith Ballard, the third fight in two periods. Crosby set up the goal with a no-look backhand pass from the corner to Kunitz, who buried a one-timer past Backstrom. Pominville got the Wild on the board 37 seconds later, re-directing Nino Niederreiters shot behind Jeff Zatkoff, who won his sixth straight game. NOTES: The Penguins are 21-2 when scoring the first goal. .... Penguins forward Jayson Megna will miss the next six weeks with a lower body injury. . Justin Fontaine, former Penguin Mike Rupp and Nate Prosser were healthy scratches for Minnesota, while Brian Gibbons sat out for Pittsburgh. The Penguins host Calgary Saturday, while Minnesota visits the New York Rangers on Sunday. Dale Hawerchuck Jersey .ca. In addition to the game being aired in its entirety on CTV Two Vancouver Island and TSN.ca, TSN2 will also have coverage of Whitecaps FC immediately following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400. Bobby Hull Jersey . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T. http://www.officialcoyotesfanstore.com/a...coyotes-jersey/. There are practical ideas, like this Chewbaca inspired Star Wars jerseys. Star Wars themed jerseys for the Toledo Mud Hens. Josh Archibald Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Thomas Steen Jersey .com) - The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently-acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler to a one-year contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration.HALIFAX -- Francois Brassard made 38 saves through 65 minutes and another three in the shootout as Quebec edged the Mooseheads 4-3 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play. Halifaxs Jonathan Drouin left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury after being checked from behind by Adam Erne. Drouin didnt return to the game and Erne received a major for checking from behind and a game misconduct. Olivier Archambault scored the shootout winner for the Remparts (16-10-6) while Fabrice Herzog, Anthony Duclair and Erne scored in regulation. MacKenzie Weegar scored twice for Halifax (22-10-1), Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist and Darcy Ashley chipped in with three assists. Zachary Fucale made 22 stops for the Mooseheads. --- CATARACTES 6 PHOENIX 1 SHAWINIGAN, Que. -- Alex Pawelczyk scored twice and added an assist as the Cataractes downed the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix. Alexandre Grand-Maison also scored twice for the Cataractes (5-22-3) while Brandon Gignac and Sebastien Gauthier had a goal and two assists apiece. Kris Hodge chipped in with three assists for Shawinigan and James Phelan had two. Tim Wieser scored the lone goal for the Phoenix (11-19-2), who dropped their fourth straight contest. Marvin Cupper made 28 saves for the Cataractes as Sherbrookes Gabriel parent turned aside 28-of-34 shots in defeat. Shawinigan went 1 for 4 on the power play while the Phoenix failed to score on three chances with the man advantage. --- WILDCATS 5 TITAN 2 BATHURST, N.B. -- Ryan Penny and Christophe Lalonde each had a goal and an assist as Moncton defeated Acadie-Bathurst. Adam Holwell, Will Smith and Stephen Johnson also scored for the Wildcats (14-17-2) while Jacob Sweeney chipped in with two assists. Aaron Kerr and Christophe Boivin supplied the offence for the Titan (13-16-2). Alex Dubeauu made 23 saves for Moncton as Acadie-Bathursts Mason McDonald turned away 31-of-35 shots.dddddddddddd --- TIGRES 5 SEA DOGS 0 SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- Philippe Hudon and Angelo Miceli scored 31 seconds apart in the first period for Victoriaville, en route to blanking the Sea Dogs. Brandon Whitney made 27 saves for the shutout while Jonathan Diaby scored twice for the Tigres (12-14-4). Tommy Veilleux added one more to round out the offence. The Sea Dogs (7-20-3) are now 5-9-2 on home ice, which is the worst of any club in the Maritimes Division. Sebastien Auger turned aside 29 shots in defeat. --- SAGUENEENS 4 VOLTIGEURS 2 CHICOUTIMI, Que. -- Nicolas Roy scored twice and Sebastien Sylvestre had three assists as the Sagueneens doubled up Drummondville. Janne Puhakka and Laurent Dauphin also scored for Chicoutimi (16-17-0), which jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Voltigeurs got on the board midway through the third period. Giovanni Fiore and Frederic Aube scored for Drummondville (19-11-2), which lost in regulation for the first time in eight outings. Domenic Graham made 22 saves for the Sagueneens. Voltigeurs netminder Louis-Philip Guindon allowed three goals on 12 shots before giving way to Joe Fleschler, who stopped 9-of-10 shots in 27 minutes of relief. --- OLYMPIQUES 5 ARMADA 3 GATINEAU, Que. -- Vaclav Karabacek and Taylor Burke each had a goal and an assist as the Olympiques handed Blainville-Boisbriand its first regulation-time loss in eight contests. Alexandre Chenier-Allard, Jake Coughler and Vincent Dunn also scored for Gatineau (22-10-0) and Emile Poirier tacked on two assists. The Armada (21-4-5) got goals from Daniel Walcott, David Bedard and Nathanael Halbert. Robert Steeves made 21 saves for the Olympiques while Etienne Marcoux stopped 19-of-23 shots for Blainville-Boisbriand. ' ' '