Crosby's second career hat trick lifts Pens over Devils

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11/29/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Crosby recorded his first hat trick of the season and picked up four points, as Pittsburgh topped New Jersey, 4-1, at Mellon Arena.

Petr Sykora also lit the lamp and Evgeni Malkin registered two helpers for the Penguins, who have alternated wins and losses in the last seven games.

Dany Sabourin made 29 saves for his third win in four starts.

Michael Rupp provided the only offense for the Devils, whose five-game win streak came to a crashing halt. Scott Clemmensen had a personal four-start win streak snapped after allowing three scores on 34 shots.

"The whole league is full of talented players, and then there's the elite players, who are more talented," Clemmensen said when referring to Crosby and Malkin. "When those guys are the hardest working players on the ice, that is scary good. When elite players are the hardest workers, that's very, very dangerous."

Crosby opened the scoring 1:21 into the contest with a brilliant spin-o-rama move which totally fooled two defenseman as well as Clemmensen, who dove too early only to see the Pens' captain slide the puck by him off the far post.

Sykora made it 2-0 on a power play at 7:26 of the second period on an easy tap-in off a Crosby feed.

Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead a little more than four minutes later as Malkin played a bad clear in the low slot right to Crosby for a slam dunk from the right side of the crease.

Rupp got the Devils on the board on a nifty wrister under the crossbar 1:54 into the third period, but Crosby finished off his three-goal night on an empty-netter with 2:01 remaining.

I've had a lot of two goal games," Crosby noted of his brief but notable career. "It's something in the back of your mind. It's nice to do it at home. That's something I don't know if it will happen again, so it's nice."

Game Notes

It was Crosby's second career hat trick, and the first since a three-goal game in an 8-2 win in Philadelphia on October 28, 2006...The Devils had won six of the previous seven games in Pittsburgh prior to Saturday...Pittsburgh faces the New York Rangers in Manhattan on Wednesday, while New Jersey is off until Thursday at Philadelphia.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

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