Penguins Keep Momentum

Even on the road, Herb Brooks and Jaromir Jagr can’t be stopped.

Pittsburgh, which had won its first three games under new Coach Brooks, all at home, got two goals and three assists from Jagr and the Penguins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-3, Wednesday night at Raleigh, N.C.

“You get a certain sense when you play Pittsburgh that when Jaromir Jagr decides that he’s having that kind of night we could have scored six and he would have found a way to get eight,” Carolina Coach Paul Maurice said.

It was the fourth five-point night of Jagr’s career. The NHL scoring leader has 52 points in 29 games. Jan Hrdina added two goals and an assist, and Martin Straka had three assists.

Jagr said he’s getting more freedom to handle the puck under Brooks.

“It’s a totally different system,” Jagr said. “He wants to hold the puck all the time. If you don’t have to dump it, don’t dump it at all. If we have the position and the puck, just keep it.”

Washington 4, Atlanta 0--Steve Konowalchuk and Jan Bulis each scored their eighth goal of the season as the Capitals scored four first-period goals and defeated the Thrashers at Atlanta.

Toronto 5, New York Islanders 1--Jonas Hoglund had two goals and an assist as the Maple Leafs defeated the Islanders at Toronto to move three points ahead of second-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit 5, Edmonton 1--Doug Brown, seeing his first action since Nov. 28 because of a foot injury, scored two goals at Detroit and the Red Wings won their fourth consecutive game with a victory over the Oilers, whose modest two-game winning streak was ended.

Florida 3, Nashville 2--Pavel Bure scored his eighth goal in the last eight games at 8:36 of the third period to lift the Panthers past the Predators at Sunrise, Fla.

Dallas 5, Calgary 1--Joe Nieuwendyk energized the Stars’ power play, which was in a one-for-18 slump, with two man-advantage goals to send the Stars to a victory over the Flames at Dallas.