PITTSBURGH _ Amid an up-and-down season in which losses have been almost as common as wins, the Penguins haven't consistently skated as the powerhouse that became the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.
But they certainly did Thursday, flexing more than enough skill to nix the Wild's season-high six-game point streak with a 6-3 victory at PPG Paints Arena that halted the Wild's momentum just as it embarks on the All-Star break.
In a vintage Pittsburgh performance, captain Sidney Crosby set up three goals _ securing yet another milestone in the process _ while center Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added an assist. Winger Phil Kessel also had a three-point effort.
And rookie Casey DeSmith, in just his sixth NHL appearance, posted 23 saves.
Pittsburgh was in control from the get-go, using smooth skating and crisp passing to work around the Wild. And on their sixth shot (the Wild had yet to register one), the Penguins finally capitalized after a failed clearing attempt by center Eric Staal on a rising one-timer from winger Dominik Simon just 3 minutes, 54 seconds into the first period.
With an assist on the play, Crosby notched his 1,080th career point _ moving into second on the franchise's all-time points list, passing Jaromir Jagr.
A fortuitous bounce upped the Penguins' lead to 2 later in the period.
While on the power play, Malkin's wraparound attempt caromed off defenseman Ryan Suter and then goalie Devan Dubnyk before rolling in at 9:09.
The Penguins didn't slow down in the second.
After defenseman Matt Dumba's clearing shot along the boards was kept in the Wild's zone, Malkin eventually found winger Carl Hagelin for a shot from the slot that eluded Dubnyk 9:28 into the period.
Only 1:27 later, Pittsburgh added another _ this one off a four-on-two rush in which defenseman Brian Dumoulin polished off a slick passing sequence.
That ended Dubnyk's night, as backup Alex Stalock came on in relief. Dubnyk left after making 17 saves, while Stalock ended up making 16 stops.
It looked like the Wild had finally solved DeSmith in the Penguins on the power play on a point shot from defenseman Jonas Brodin with 4:53 remaining in the second.
But after the Penguins challenged on the grounds of goaltender interference, the goal was overturned; video replay showed captain Mikko Koivu barely touched DeSmith's pad.
The Wild surrendered two more goals in the third, as Malkin scored his second on the power play on another deflection off Suter 1:42 into the period; the Penguins went 2 for 2 with the man advantage.
Just 50 seconds after Malkin's goal, Simon used a blistering shot to tally his second of the game.
And those insurance goals ended up being costly, as the Wild did eventually get in a bit of a groove.
Staal erased DeSmith's shutout bid at 8:44 to reach the 20-goal plateau before winger Mikael Granlund converted on the power play at 10:50 and Brodin's cost scooted through traffic and by DeSmith with 8:14 to go. The Wild finished 1 for 5 on the power play.
This loss continued a grim trend for the Wild, as their success on home ice hasn't translated to their play on the road.
The team dropped to 9-14-1 away from Xcel Energy Center and has lost five of its past six road games, a skid it'll try to reverse once it resumes its schedule after the All-Star break Tuesday in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.
