PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak

[carrie201918]

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak have been playing together for less than two weeks. Funny, they looked like longtime friends during Pittsburghs 5-1 demolition of Dallas on Tuesday night. Quick to the puck and even quicker to the net, the Penguins top line overwhelmed the suddenly struggling Stars as Pittsburgh bounced back from a dismal weekend sweep at the hands of Philadelphia by jumping on Dallas early. Crosby scored his 32nd goal less than 5 minutes in, added his 33rd early in the third period and dished out an assist on Stempniaks first goal with the Penguins to push his point total to an NHL-leading 91. More importantly, Pittsburgh hardly looked like the team humbled by the Flyers during a forgettable home-and-home sweep. "We werent happy with those losses, we have to do better," Crosby said. "We wanted to make sure we went out there and played hard. Its a desperate team were playing and hopefully we can build that same emotion, same intensity we had tonight and carry it over to the rest of the season." Kunitz chipped in his 32nd goal after skipping two games with a leg injury and added an assist. Brandon Sutter pushed in a late short-handed goal and Jeff Zatkoff stopped 32 shots to win for the 11th time in his past 14 games. Tyler Seguin scored his 31st goal for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves, but Dallas slumped again on the road. The Stars have been outscored 12-3 over their past two games to slip out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. "I think you cant blame one guy for any of the goals," Seguin said. "This is a team matter were going to deal with. Its just about execution. Weve been showing glimpses of it lately, but too many breakdowns." A no-no when playing Crosby. The Pittsburgh captain seemed energized by the return of Kunitz. Reunited against a scuffling team trying to make a late run at the post-season, Crosby and Kunitz helped the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins rebound by playing with the chemistry that makes them one of the most potent one-two combinations in the league. The game was less than 5 minutes old when Crosby put Pittsburgh in front. Fourth-line forward Craig Adams -- finishing out his shift -- dug out a loose puck in the corner and fed it to Crosby darting through the slot. Crosby deked past Dallas defenceman Sergei Gonchar then held the puck long enough for Lehtonen to commit before slipping the puck into an open net to give the Penguins some welcome momentum. Seguin tied it at 12:30 into the first with a pretty deflection off a Trevor Daley shot from the point, but the game was tied less than three minutes before Kunitz pounced on a rebound off a Stempniak shot to put the Penguins in front to stay. The Penguins acquired Stempniak from Calgary on March 5 hoping the veteran forward could patch the hole on the first line that hasnt really been filled since Pascal Dupuis was lost for the season with a knee injury in December. After a series of near misses in his first six games with Pittsburgh, Stempniak finally broke through 13:21 into the second period. He skated into the zone and dropped the puck to Crosby and sprinted to the net. The puck was on Stempniaks stick again a split second later as Kunitz hit him streaking through the slot. Stempniak knocked it in for his ninth of the season while getting tripped by Dallas Brenden Dillon in the process. "Its been a little while, its nice to get a goal," Stempniak said. "Great passing play from Sid to Chris. I went to the net and it was on my tape ... Sids so dynamic, he opens up a lot. Chris has a great shot. I just try to fit in and skate and keep up." That was more than enough for Zatkoff, who made two glove saves in the second period during Dallas best sustained pressure. Crosby banged in a rebound 1:56 into the third to push Pittsburghs lead to three and the pressure that had built after dispiriting performances against the Flyers -- games in which the Penguins said they were more concerned with the way they played than the actual score -- lifted. NOTES: Pittsburgh is 42-5-4 this season when Crosby collects at least one point. ... Dallas has lost three straight for the first time since a six-game skid from Jan. 2-12. ... The Penguins play at Detroit on Thursday. ... Dallas visits Philadelphia on Thursday. Kris Bryant Jersey . But luckily for the Canadian squad, one goal was all it needed. Winnipegs Sophie Schmidt scored the winner off a Diana Matheson corner kick to seal Canadas third-place spot in the Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino in Brazil on Sunday. Cole Hamels Cubs Jersey . Samir Nasris 88th-minute equalizer at Etihad Stadium will be of little consolation to City, which is now six points behind league leader Liverpool and four points behind second-place Chelsea. Third-place City has a game in hand but the surprise result against Sunderland, coupled with Sundays 3-2 loss at Liverpool, may be a setback too far in its bid for a second championship in three seasons. http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Alb ... ds-Jersey/. Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. Javier Baez Cubs Jersey . While coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans and pumped his fist at the crowd, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul quietly congratulated each other. Joe Maddon Jersey . In a pregame tribute commemorating his final contest at Coors Field on Wednesday night, Helton caught the ceremonial first pitch from his daughter with his wife, younger daughter and good friend Peyton Manning watching from the field.A day after taking to Twitter to call out the Toronto Maple Leafs, James Reimers agent has clarified his remarks. Ray Petkau issued the following statement pertaining to a Tuesday night tweet, clarifying that it was not a direct response to Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle. "The tweet I sent out last night, while inadvertently relevant to other comments made was not a response to post game comments from Randy Carlyle or James Reimer," Petaku said in a statement. "I didnt hear those interviews until later." Petaku was clarifying his tweet from Tuesday night following the Leafs 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings that read: "As is customary in Toronto, when your team plays poor defensively game after game you blame your goalie." The tweet was believed by some to be a reaction to Carlyles post-game comments in which he labeled Reimers performance in Detroit as being "just okay." Petakus remarks came after Reimer has suddenly been thrust back into the Leafs starting role with Jonathan Bernier nursing a groin strain. In the last three games - including the Mar. 14 test against the Los Angeles Kings that saw Bernier go down -&nbssp;the team has gone 1-2.dddddddddddd Reimer has posted a .936 save percentage over those three games, allowing six goals total. That stretch includes two perfect periods to finish off the victory over the Kings where Reimer stopped 31 shots in 40 minutes. "Obviously this has been a trying season for James but those are issues that we will deal with in the off-season," Petakus statement continued. "Twitter is not the place for that but the timing of my tweet necessitated further comment under these circumstances." "Having the confidence of teammates, coaching staff and a team of supporters around them is imperative for a goalies success, especially in a big hockey market. I will always have my clients back." Reimer is in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the Leafs prior to the 2011-12 season worth an average annual value of $1.8 million. He is eligible to become a restricted free agent on July 1. In 29 games with the Leafs this season, Reimer is 11-10-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 3.22 goals-against average. He started 33 games for the Leafs in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, posting a 2.46 GAA and a .924 save percentage. ' ' '