Connor Clifton and Egor Chinakhov scored 50 seconds apart during a three-goal third period to help the Pittsburgh Penguins, minus superstar Sidney Crosby, break open a tight contest and beat the visiting New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Thursday night.

Tommy Novak opened the scoring, Evgeni Malkin recorded two assists and Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter for the Penguins, who returned from the Olympic break to improve to 15-3-3 since Dec. 28.

Arturs Silovs was stout in making 28 saves for Pittsburgh,

which didn’t seem phased playing without Crosby, who will miss at least four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered while playing for Canada at the Milan Cortina Games earlier this month.

With the game knotted 1-1, Pittsburgh was amid a barrage on New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom (31 saves) when Clifton’s drive from the top of the circle, courtesy of Ryan Shea’s shot that caromed off the iron, put the Penguins ahead with 13:30 left in regulation. Less than a minute later, Malkin sent the puck through the neutral zone for Chinakhov to collect, then break free and eventually go forehand-backhand to beat Markstrom.

Paul Cotter scored for the Devils, who are second-to-last in the Eastern Conference standings and matched a season high with their fifth consecutive loss, which is part of a 1-7-0 rut. New Jersey, which failed to convert any of its five power-play chances — four in the second period– has been outscored 15-4 in the last five contests.

The Penguins opened the scoring with 1:09 left in the first period. Thanks to some precision passing on a power play, Novak redirected Kris Letang’s one-timer off a Malkin pass by Markstrom.

New Jersey, though, answered at 4:56 into the second period. On a delayed penalty, and in somewhat similar fashion to Pittsburgh’s opening tally, Dougie Hamilton’s drive glanced in off the leg of Cotter, who snapped a 23-game goal drought in the process.

United States Olympic hero Jack Hughes had an assist for the Devils.

–Field Level Media

Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum took it to their old team on Thursday, combining for 58 points to help the Atlanta Hawks roll to a 126-96 win over the visiting Washington Wizards.

The duo, obtained in the trade that sent Trae Young to the Wizards last month, sparked Atlanta to its second wire-to-wire victory over Washington in the past three days and its third win in a row overall. The Wizards have lost three straight.

Kispert had career highs with 33 points and 11 field goals, including six 3-pointers. McCollum scored 25 points, shooting 9-for-19. They each scored 22 points in the first half.

Atlanta also got 17 points and nine rebounds from Jonathan Kuminga, 13 points, 11 assists and five steals from Dyson Daniels, and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Onyeka Okongwu.

The Hawks were playing without a pair of starters. Jalen Johnson, the team’s leading scorer, was out with a left hip flexor injury, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the team’s No. 2 scorer, was sidelined due to a left ankle sprain. Both injuries occurred in the Tuesday game against Washington and are not expected to be long-term issues.

Washington was led by Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Justin Hardy and Justin Champagnie with 14 points each.

The Wizards were without leading scorer Alex Sarr, who missed his sixth game with a right hamstring strain, and second-leading scorer Kyshawn George, out because of a left knee contusion.

The Hawks scored the first nine points of the game and soon built a 12-point lead. The Wizards managed to close the gap to 20-18, but Atlanta led 37-26 after one quarter.

McCollum and Kispert each had a pair of treys in the second quarter, when Atlanta outscored Washington 39-30 and took a 76-56 lead into the break. The Hawks ended the second period on a 9-2 run.

Washington got as close as 12 with 3:22 left in the third quarter on a layup from Anthony Gill, only to have the Hawks outscore them 10-4 and take a 98-80 lead in the final quarter.

Atlanta won the season series 3-1.

–Field Level Media

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the game-winner at 1:46 of overtime as the visiting New York Islanders rallied for a 4-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Pageau carried the puck up the left side for a partial breakaway and cut to the front of the net before slipping a backhand under Samuel Montembeault’s pads.

Matthew Schaefer scored twice for the Islanders, who have won three in a row. Ilya Sorokin made 21 saves.

Noah Dobson scored twice against his former team and Samuel Montembeault made 22 saves for the Canadiens, who have lost two of three (1-0-2) but extended their point streak to six (4-0-2).

Cole Caufield put Montreal ahead 3-2 at 9:11 of the third period. Juraj Slafkovsky’s shot from the right circle deflected off Ivan Demidov’s skate on the doorstep and trickled through Sorokin’s pads to the other side, where Caufield easily tapped it in.

With Sorokin pulled for the extra attacker, Anders Lee tied it 3-3. Bo Horvat fired a shot from the top of the slot that deflected off Lee in front and went over Montembeault’s left arm at 18:19.

Dobson gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at 12:11 of the first period. The defenseman, who was traded to Montreal in the offseason for forward Emil Heineman, carried the puck to the left circle before snapping it glove side past Sorokin.

Dobson made it 2-0 on the power play at 10:06 of the second period. He took a feed from Alexandre Texier at the middle of the blue line and beat a screened Sorokin with a slap shot blocker side.

Schaefer scored twice in less than a minute late in the second to pull the Islanders even.

The rookie defenseman cut it to 2-1 on a 5-on-3 with a snap shot from the top of the slot at 17:56. Schaefer then tied it 2-2 at 18:51, beating a screened Montembeault inside the near post from the top of the right circle.

Schaefer’s second tally was his 18th of the season, moving the 2025 No. 1 overall pick past Hall of Famer Phil Housley for most by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.

–Field Level Media