Penguins beat sluggish Ottawa, take 2-1 series lead

OTTAWA - The Pittsburgh Penguins took advantage of some shoddy defending to beat the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Sunday and take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven NHL playoff series.

The Stanley Cup champions scored on their first shot in a bad tempered game and although Ottawa tied the game, second period goals by forward Evgeni Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby put the game beyond doubt.

The Penguins - still unhappy about a hit from Ottawa's Andy Sutton on Jordan Leopold in the second game - came out in an angry mood and the game was marked by a series of crunching hits, fights and penalties.