PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The No. 1 draft pick is playing even better

than the Pittsburgh Penguins expected, giving them hope in a season

that has been a lost cause almost from the start.

Sidney Crosby, for sure -- but also goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the

No. 1 pick in 2003 who was supposed to be the Penguins' future

before Crosby arrived this year.

Crosby had his second two-goal game in three games and Fleury

turned aside 44 shots in another strong game as the Penguins ended

a six-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the New Jersey

Devils on Thursday night.

"Marc-Andre was phenomenal and we capitalized on our chances

and did a lot of good things," said Michel Therrien, who got his

first victory as Pittsburgh's coach after 15 days and four

consecutive one-goal losses.

Tomas Surovy also scored twice and defenseman Ric Jackman, a

healthy scratch in three of the previous six games, scored

Pittsburgh's first goal and set up the second to help the Penguins

open a 4-0 lead. Pittsburgh had dropped 12 of 13 and hadn't won

since beating Colorado on Dec. 10.

Mostly, though, this one belonged to the kids: the 18-year-old

Crosby and 21-year-old Fleury, whose combined age (39) is one year

less than 40-year-old Penguins owner-player Mario Lemieux.

Crosby has five goals in four games, including two against

Philadelphia on Friday, and now has 18 goals and 40 points in 36

games. Fleury's record is a deceiving 3-7-3, but he has played very

well despite facing 32 or more shots all but once in his last five

starts.

"It's all right now. I think I've showed what I can do here,"

Fleury said. "I'd like to win a lot more games."

So would Crosby, who wouldn't have believed the Penguins would

have only nine victories two days away from the new year. Crosby

likes how his former Team Canada junior teammate, Fleury, is

playing, but worries about the heavy workload he is facing nightly.

"You don't want to make his job more difficult, make him have

to face 45-46 shots every night," Crosby said. "But there's a

confidence level with him right now, and that's the most important

thing. I think things are starting to get better with us. We have

to keep going and keep improving."

The Devils lost their 10th in 13 games a night after beating

Washington 7-2 as backup goalie Scott Clemmensen stopped only 19 of

25 shots. Clemmensen, 2-4-2 this season and 0-1-1 against

Pittsburgh, made his first start since Dec. 5 and remained winless

since Oct. 29.

"We didn't give up a lot of shots, but it seemed like when we

did it was a breakdown -- an odd-man rush or a fluky play around the

net," Clemmensen said. "It seemed like I couldn't do anything

right for a stretch."

Scott Gomez tightened it up by scoring his 10th and 11th goals

to make it 4-2 early in the third as the Devils outshot the

Penguins 35-15 in the final two periods. But Surovy and Crosby

sealed it by scoring their second goals of the game.

"It was 4-0 before you knew it," Gomez said. "But give

Pittsburgh all the credit. We're a fragile team right now, and they

did what they needed to do."

Surovy, whose first goal came on a give-and-go with Ziggy

Palffy, was credited with fourth of the season when his pass

intended for Crosby deflected off defenseman Paul Martin's skate

and past Clemmensen about 6 minutes into the third period.

Crosby scored again with about 6 minutes remaining, taking

Palffy's pass at the right edge of the crease and missing his first

attempt before stuffing in his second. Crosby has four multigoal

games in his rookie season.

New Jersey went 1-for-8 with the man advantage a night after

going 3-for-10 -- almost as many goals as it had scored in a month

on the power play. Before Wednesday's game, the Devils were

4-of-100 on the power play over a 14-game stretch.Game notes
Lou Lamoriello is 2-4 as New Jersey's interim coach

following Larry Robinson's resignation. ... Devils F Patrik Elias

did not play, but could make his season debut Saturday. He has

missed the season with hepatitis A. ... The Penguins are 5-9-5 at

home. ... Lemieux, the Penguins' other former No. 1 draft pick,

remained out with an irregular heartbeat. ... The four-goal margin

of victory matched Pittsburgh's largest of the season. They beat

the Islanders 5-1 on Nov. 3.