The Pittsburgh Penguins took top spot in the National Hockey League with a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars Friday. Penguins winger James Neal scored two power-play goals against his former team as the home side shrugged off two disallowed goals to snap the Stars' four-game win streak. Both of Neal's goals came after Eastern Conference leaders Pittsburgh had scores disallowed due to infractions by Chris Kunitz. Neal's first goal tied the game at 1-1 in the second period, 24 seconds after Kunitz had redirected a shot past Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen with a high stick. Neal extended the Penguins lead to 2-1 in the third period, 23 seconds after Kunitz was called for goalie interference negating another Pittsburgh goal. Matt Cooke was hauled down on a clear breakaway by Trevor Daley and was awarded a penalty shot, which he scored to push the Penguins lead to 3-1 midway through the third period. Eric Nystrom scored the only goal for Dallas, the top team in the West, tapping in a perfect pass from Radek Dvorak in the first period. NY Rangers 5, Carolina 1: Three goals in three minutes in the third period gave the Rangers a 5-1 win — their sixth straight victory — over Carolina at Madison Square Garden. Dan Girardi broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal off a clever cross-ice pass by Brad Richards at 10 minutes 47 seconds of the third. Nine seconds later, Brandon Dubinsky scored his first goal of the season. The Rangers' late-game breakout continued when Callahan scored amid a pile around the Carolina crease at 13:47. The six-game winning streak is the Rangers' longest since October 2009. Capitals 3, Devils 1: Jason Chimera's short-handed goal broke a 1-1 tie 2:27 into the third period as Washington won in Newark, ending the Devils' three-game winning streak. Sabres 5, Senators 1: Jhonas Enroth made 36 saves, and Derek Roy had a goal and two assists in host Buffalo's fourth straight victory after a 1-4 stretch. Red Wings 3, Oilers 0: Detroit's Jimmy Howard made 24 saves for his second shutout this week. Visiting Edmonton, leading the Northwest Division, was shut out for the first time. Blackhawks 4, Flames 1: Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, host Chicago's top two defensemen, scored their first goals of the season. In another game, Anaheim Ducks defeated Vancouver Canucks 4-3.
