NHL ROUNDUP : Jagr Scores Hat Trick for Penguins

Not many teams could lose Mario Lemieux and still not lose a game for nearly a month. Of course, not many teams have Jaromir Jagr.

Jagr had three goals and an assist and the Pittsburgh Penguins ran their season-opening unbeaten streak to 12 games by defeating Boston, 5-3, Tuesday night at Pittsburgh.

It was the Penguins’ 10th consecutive victory over the Bruins.

The Penguins’ 11-0-1 start is the fourth-best in NHL history and is three games short of the Edmonton Oilers’ 12-0-3 streak in 1984-85.

“We have so much confidence right now,” said Jagr, the NHL scoring leader with 13 goals and 11 assists. “When I come to the game now, I don’t expect to lose. I got some of the easiest goals of my career.”

The hat trick was the second of his five-year career, both against Boston. Jagr has 13 goals and 17 assists in 17 career games against the Bruins.

“He was terrific all night,” Boston goaltender Vincent Riendeau said. “You look at this game and he was the difference. He’s dominating right now, just like Lemieux did when he wasn’t injured.”

Quebec 3, New York Islanders 2--Valeri Kamensky had a hand in all of Quebec’s scoring, producing two goals and an assist at Uniondale, N.Y., as the Nordiques improved to 11-1-0.

Defense is a key reason for the Nordiques’ success. They lead the league in fewest goals allowed.

“The coaching staff is letting us play,” Nordique forward Owen Nolan said. “We’re more relaxed and more confident.”

“We have a new right side of the defense,” Nordique coach Marc Crawford said of Uwe Krupp and Sylvain Lefebvre. “Our overall team concept is to concentrate on playing well defensively.”

The Islanders again gave the opposition an early lead. Wendel Clark’s gift goal 5:31 into the game came when Islander goalie Jamie McLennan was knocked down, leaving Clark to score into an open net with a 24-footer.

That marked the 11th time in the Islanders’ 12 games they’ve allowed the first goal.

“I think we have to come out with far more intensity, especially in our own building,” Islander forward Steve Thomas said. “Teams should be worried about us in our own building; scared of us, and that’s not happening.”

Philadelphia 5, Tampa Bay 2--John LeClair scored three goals and had two assists and Mikael Renberg scored twice for the Flyers at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Lightning center got his 800th assist, becoming the 15th player to reach that plateau.

The victory was only the third on the road for the Flyers, who are 4-2 in their last six games. Tampa Bay (5-7-1) has lost two in a row.

LeClair, along with Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne, came to the Flyers in a trade with Montreal on Feb. 9.

LeClair’s five points matched his total in 10 games with Montreal this season.