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Malkin’s 2 goals lead flyin’ Penguins past Flyers, 4-2

PITTSBURGH (AP) -Evgeni Malkin scored two dazzling goals 5 minutes apart to give Pittsburgh a two-goal lead, after Sidney Crosby tied it, and the Penguins rode their two big stars to a 4-2 victory over cross-state rival Philadelphia in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night.

Malkin, who is only 21 but is the leading scorer in the playoffs with 17 points following a three-point night, scored with 6.5 seconds left in the first period with a tired Flyers line on the ice to put Pittsburgh up 3-2.

The pivotal goal blunted much of the momentum the Flyers gained by briefly taking a 2-1 lead on Mike Richards’ two goals.

Malkin’s first career short-handed goal, on a breakaway created by Sergei Gonchar’s pass from one end of the ice to the other early in the second, was the crusher for the Flyers, who didn’t do much offensively after that despite taking 28 shots against goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

With Philadelphia on the power play, Malkin missed his initial short-handed attempt before being leveled behind the net by Richards. Malkin got up and began skating toward the Penguins’ zone. Before he got there, Marian Hossa knocked the puck loose from Daniel Briere.

That allowed Gonchar to sail it back down the ice to Malkin for a slap shot between the hash marks that flew past Martin Biron before he could react, generating a huge roar from the all-in-white Penguins crowd of 17,132.

And the Melrose says: