PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal in his return from injury Thursday night, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils for their sixth consecutive win. Erik Karlsson, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte also scored for the Penguins before an announced crowd of 16,125 at PPG Paints Arena. Karlsson extended his career-best home points streak to nine games. Stuart Skinner made 28 saves for Pittsburgh. The Penguins scored once in the first period, twice in the second and added a third-period goal to improve to 21-21 overall. Luke Hughes scored the lone goal for New Jersey in the third period. Jake Allen stopped 25 shots for the Devils, who fell to 22-22.

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Evgeni Malkin marked his return to the lineup with a power-play goal and the Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. A crowd of 16,125 watched the Penguins methodically pull away, using a goal in the first period, two in the second and a final tally in the third to improve their season record to 21-21. The Devils, coming off a 9-0 road loss to the New York Islanders two nights prior, fell to 22-22. Malkin, playing for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury, capitalized on a two-man advantage in the second period to give Pittsburgh a commanding 3-0 lead. The veteran center took a pass from Sidney Crosby and unleashed a slap shot that beat New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen. Crosby and defenseman Erik Karlsson assisted on the play. Karlsson had opened the scoring late in the first period, pushing his career-best home points streak to nine games. Stationed at the right point, he took a feed from Rickard Rakell, wound up and fired a wrist shot through traffic that found the back of the net at the 6:39 mark. Crosby earned the secondary assist. The Penguins doubled their lead midway through the second period. Rakell held the puck along the right-wing boards before sending a pass to Kris Letang at the point. Letang’s shot was tipped in front by Connor Dewar, who redirected it past Allen at 10:23. Rakell and Letang were credited with the assists. Pittsburgh’s depth continued to shine in the third period. After the Devils broke through to cut the deficit to 3-1, the Penguins responded just over two minutes later. Noel Acciari won a battle along the boards and fed Dewar, who fired a shot toward the net. Blake Lizotte, positioned in the slot, deftly tipped the puck to restore the three-goal cushion at 39:26. Dewar and Acciari assisted on the goal. New Jersey’s lone score came from defenseman Luke Hughes at the 6:55 mark of the third period. Hughes collected a pass from Dougie Hamilton and beat Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner with a slap shot from the point. Jack Hughes registered the secondary assist, spoiling Skinner’s shutout bid. Skinner was otherwise stellar, turning aside 28 of the 29 shots he faced to earn the victory. His counterpart, Allen, made 25 saves on 29 shots in the loss. The Penguins’ penalty kill was perfect, negating all three New Jersey power plays. Pittsburgh’s power play went 1 for 3, with Malkin’s goal proving decisive. The Devils were hampered by penalties at critical junctures, including a slashing call against Timo Meier and a tripping penalty against Connor Brown that led to the two-man advantage Malkin exploited. Pittsburgh’s top line of Crosby, Rakell and Bryan Rust applied consistent pressure, with Rakell finishing with two assists and Crosby adding two helpers of his own. Dewar contributed a goal and an assist for a multi-point night, while Karlsson’s goal and assist continued his offensive surge on home ice. The Devils, who defeated the Penguins in a shootout in the teams’ previous meeting on Nov. 8, struggled to generate sustained offense. Key forwards Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt were held off the scoresheet at even strength. New Jersey’s best chance prior to Hughes’ goal came in the first period when Dawson Mercer rang a shot off the post. The victory solidifies a remarkable turnaround for the Penguins, who have collected points in 26 of the 33 games Lizotte has played this season. After hovering around the .500 mark for much of the campaign, the six-game winning streak has propelled them back into the Eastern Conference playoff conversation. For the Devils, the loss extends a frustrating pattern of inconsistency. Since late December, the team has struggled to string together victories, mixing dominant performances with lopsided defeats. Pittsburgh will look to continue its streak when it hosts the Calgary Flames on Saturday. New Jersey continues a road trip with games at the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday and the Minnesota Wild on Monday.

Preview: Devils, Penguins Meet in Key Metropolitan Division Clash PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Two Metropolitan Division rivals trending in opposite directions will meet Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena. The Devils (22-20-0) arrive having lost four of their last five games, including a 3-1 defeat to Carolina on Sunday. The Penguins (20-21-0), meanwhile, have won five of their last six, capped by a 5-4 overtime victory in Columbus on Sunday. Despite the recent disparity, the teams are separated by just three points in the standings, adding urgency to the matchup. New Jersey won the season’s first meeting, 2-1 in a shootout on Nov. 8. A key matchup will feature the teams’ top centers. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby is riding a six-game point streak, tallying five goals and seven assists in that span. The 38-year-old captain has been instrumental in the Penguins’ resurgence, logging three multi-point performances in his last four outings. New Jersey will counter with captain Nico Hischier, who has points in two of his last three games but was held off the scoresheet despite a team-high six shots in the loss to Carolina. Hischier has two goals and three assists over his last 10 contests. The Devils have struggled to find consistent offense, scoring two or fewer goals in seven of their last 10 games. Goaltender Jake Allen made 26 saves in the loss to Carolina and is likely to start again. Pittsburgh’s offense has surged, scoring four or more goals in four consecutive wins. Beyond Crosby, Rickard Rakell (five shots, goal Sunday) and Noel Acciari have provided secondary scoring. The game opens a two-game road trip for New Jersey, which visits Winnipeg on Sunday. Pittsburgh begins a three-game homestand before heading to Boston on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.