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PITTSBURGH (AP) – The expansion Minnesota Wild learned a
valuable lesson – sometimes, even the best defense isn't enough to
stop Mario Lemieux.
Lemieux, responding to criticism from Minnesota coach Jacques
Lemaire, scored twice in the third period and the Pittsburgh
Penguins overcame their frustration with the Wild's neutral zone
trap to win 2-1 on Wednesday night.
|  | | Mario Lemieux, right, might have gotten help from Curtis Leschyshyn's skate late in Wednesday night's game. |
The Wild, 4-2 winners Sunday over Pittsburgh in Minnesota,
played conservatively at both ends of the rink, content to let the
Penguins spend most of their time and energy trying to fight
through the neutral zone.
The system worked for 2½ periods as, despite being outshot 30-11
at the time, Minnesota led 1-0 until Lemieux scored at 7:30 of the
third on an unguarded slap slot from the top of the slot.
Lemieux got the game-winner, and his 19th goal in 20 comeback
games, with 4:35 to play, one-timing Jaromir Jagr's one-handed
sweep pass from behind the net past Manny Fernandez from the far
edge of the right circle. The shot apparently deflected off the
skate of either Curtis Leschyshyn or Jim Dowd of the Wild.
"That was a key game for us, and it was a matter of just
staying patient," Lemieux said.
Jagr's assist extended his scoring streak to 15 games, the
longest in the NHL this season. He has at least one assist in each
game of the streak, breaking Lemieux's club record of 14
consecutive games with an assist in 1986.
Until scoring the two goals, Lemieux was frustrated for most of
the two games by the Wild's all-defensive style. At one point, he
broke his stick as he came off the ice in disgust at failing to
convert a scoring chance.
"It was frustrating, but we did have some quality scoring
chances," Lemieux said. "We started going to the net hard, and
that's what you have to do."
Lemieux was held scoreless Sunday, when he was critical of
Minnesota's style by saying it wasn't what the NHL was trying to
sell to fans. It was only the second time he had been shut out
since ending his 3½-year retirement in late December.
Lemaire responded angrily to Lemieux's remarks, saying he should
have stayed retired if he expected nothing but breakaways and open
ice.
As a result, Lemieux seemed especially determined Wednesday,
ignoring the back pain that visibly bothered him for his two
previous games.
"You could almost see it at the end," Penguins defenseman Bob
Boughner said. "He just had that little extra at the end. There
are no hard feelings, but it was just like he said to us, `Jump on
my back.' I knew that once we got that first goal, we'd get the
second."
Lemaire didn't think his remarks affected the outcome, or
Lemieux's approach to the game.
"I don't think so," he said. "I knew they would come out
stronger than they did in Minnesota because they were rested. We
played like we were a little scared. Everyone knows how good they
are and the type of plays they can make."
Fernandez turned aside all 28 shots he faced through two
periods, rarely permitting rebounds of follow-up shots though he
once had to throw up his glove to make a backhanded stop of a
close-range Lemieux shot.
"It was almost like, `Here we go again,' " Boughner said.
"But we were happy with the way we were playing, and we said at
the end of the second period that we just had to get that first
goal."
By taking so few risks on offense, the Wild were outshot 35-14,
and scored against goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin only on Wes Walz's
breakaway at 8:31 of the second – his second consecutive
short-handed goal against the Penguins. He finished off Sunday's
game by scoring short-handed into an empty net with 33 seconds
remaining.
"Obviously, we didn't get enough pucks on their net," Dowd
said.
Game notes
The Penguins are 10-2 at home and 13-6-0-1 overall since
Lemieux returned. All 20 games have been sellouts. ... Jagr has
seven goals and 22 assists during his streak. ... Minnesota was
7-2-0-1 in its previous 10 games and 4-1-0-1 in six previous road
games. ... Minnesota was 0-for-5 on the power play and is a
league-low 9-of-119 this season.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Lemieux says he might sit out from time to time
Mario Tracker
RECAPS
Detroit 4
Carolina 3
Florida 4
Phoenix 3
Ottawa 3
New Jersey 2
Philadelphia 3
NY Islanders 1
Pittsburgh 2
Minnesota 1
Columbus 2
Toronto 2
San Jose 7
Chicago 0
Dallas 4
Los Angeles 2
Washington 4
Vancouver 3
Edmonton 3
Anaheim 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jaromir Jagr feeds Mario Lemieux for the goal.
avi: 569 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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