Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots and the Boston Bruins won their fifth game in a row, 2-0 over a Pittsburgh Penguins team missing Sidney Crosby and minus Evgeni Malkin for most of the game Saturday.
Crosby, the Penguins’ leading scorer, was a surprise late scratch after he participated in the pregame warmup. There was no word on why the center was out.
Malkin, the team’s second-leading scorer, got hurt on his first shift and did not play after the first period. There was no immediate report on the center’s injury.
Milan Lucic scored in the first period and Zdeno Chara added an empty-net goal.
Boston is 7-0-1 in its past eight games.
It was an eventful first period for Pittsburgh, and not in a good way.
After Crosby wasn’t on the ice for the start of the game, Malkin limped to the dressing room after taking a hit from Boston center Chris Kelly just 1:29 into the first period.
Malkin returned later and 4:15, but didn’t come back following the first intermission.
Lucic scored to make it 1-0 at 9:53 of the first on a shot from the left hash marks that caromed in off of the blocker of Pittsburgh goaltender Thomas Greiss.
At a stoppage during a Pittsburgh power play more than seven minutes into regulation, forward Craig Adams joined the Pittsburgh bench after taking a quick warmup skate.
Adams had originally been listed as an official scratch from the lineup, but the NHL issued a statement that said Adams was allowed to be a late substitution for Crosby under Rule 7.1, “which states that changes to the starting lineup must be reviewed and approved by the referee prior to the start of the game. Proper procedure was followed.”
NOTES: Pittsburgh defenseman Christian Ehrhoff returned after missing the previous six games and 18 of the previous 19 because of concussion symptoms. To make room in the lineup, the Penguins scratched rookie Derrick Pouliot. … Penguins center Maxim Lapierre played in his 600th career game. … Pittsburgh closes its three-game homestand with an afternoon game Sunday against Detroit. … Bruins defenseman Zach Trotman, recalled on an emergency basis, did not play and was brought up as insurance because an illness has been circulating among the team, Coach Claude Julien said.