NHL

Mario's return can't stop Penguins' slump

Lemieux held scoreless in 3-2 defeat to Sabres

Gene J. Puskar / AP

Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, left, waits for his shift as captain Mario Lemieux, right, gets ready to enter the game during the Penguins' loss on Tuesday.

The Penguins were 0-for-4 with the man advantage in the final period. They also failed to generate any momentum after John LeClair ended an eight-game streak without a goal early in the period by scoring on a power play to tie it at 2.

Fleury, recalled Monday from the minors to be the Penguins’ starting goalie after neither Jocelyn Thibault nor Sebastien Caron could win the job, made 24 saves and was strong when Buffalo was on the power play. But the former No. 1 draft pick did not play as well as he did in his previous start Nov. 16 in Philadelphia, when he made 45 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory he started only because of an injury.

“It didn’t go the way I would like it to go,” Fleury said. “I don’t think that’s the best I can bring.”

Murley’s second career goal put Pittsburgh up 1-0 about five minutes into the game, not long after Biron made the save of the night by throwing out his stick to stop Sidney Crosby’s shot into what looked to be an open net. Biron had a 1.92 goals-against average in winning each of his previous three starts.

Afinogenov tied it midway through the period, steering in the rebound of a Derek Roy shot that deflected off Fleury and took several bounces in the slot before Afinogenov got his stick on it.

Paul Gaustad put the Sabres up midway through the second period with a wrist shot from the lower left circle that Fleury apparently did not see. Two of Gaustad’s four career goals are against Fleury, including a goal in the Sabres’ 3-2 win in Buffalo on Oct. 10.

Notes: Buffalo’s leading scorer, Daniel Briere, missed his fourth in a row with an abdominal strain. ... Buffalo scored a power play goal for the 18th time in 19 games. ... The Sabres have 13 of a possible 14 points in their last seven games. ... Crosby, playing with a bruised left foot, was shut out for a second consecutive game after scoring six goals in his previous six games. ... Biron has an 8-4-1 record.

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