Edmonton Oilers goalie Viktor Fasth (35) makes a pad save as Pittsburgh Penguins Right Wing Patric Hornqvist (72) looks for the rebound in the first period of their game on Wednesday.  Picture: Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports

By Dave Molinari/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This was not, perhaps, the game the Penguins wanted.
It was, however, the game they needed.
OK, so they didn’t get their offensive game fully in synch in their 2-0 victory against Edmonton Wednesday night at Rexall Place -- manufacturing just two goals against a team that been leaking in an average of 3.28 per game -- but they did manage to win.
And for a team that had done that just twice in the previous eight games, that was no small achievement.
“We’ll take that,” center Sidney Crosby said. “Hopefully, we can build on the offensive part, but it was much-needed.”
The victory came with a quick and tangible reward, too, because it allowed the Penguins to hurdle the New York Islanders and reclaim first place in the Metropolitan Division, although New York has a game in hand.
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 shots to earn his league-leading seventh shutout. And while he was idle for extended stretches in the first 40 minutes, the Oilers did generate a few quality chances in the third period.
“The third was a little more interesting,” Fleury said.
Center Evgeni Malkin, who had missed the previous five games because of a groin injury, rejoined the Penguins lineup and didn’t need long to have an impact.Just 24 seconds into the second period, he tapped in a feed from linemate Mark Arcobello for his 20th this season and a lead the Penguins never relinquished.
The second assist on his goal initially went to defenseman Kris Letang. That would have been the eighth consecutive goal he helped to set up, setting a franchise record and leaving him just two shy of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL mark.
Midway through the second period, however, the assist was switched to Patric Hornqvist, ending Letang’s streak and his run at history.
“That’s just the way it goes,” Letang said.
“When [Hornqvist] is in front of the net, he’s doing his job. ...
“It would have been great, but [Hornqvist] was doing his job.”
Letang, it must be noted, didn’t wait too long to get another streak started.
With less than a second remaining in the second period, his shot from the right point caromed off the skate of winger David Perron, who was driving to the net, and went past Oilers goalie Viktor Fasth.
The second assist went to Crosby, just his second point in the past six games.For Perron, acquired from Edmonton Jan. 2, it was his seventh goal in 13 games with the Penguins.
Those two goals were all the Penguins would need to get by the Oilers, who had entered the game on a 4-2 roll but still are marooned in 29th place in the overall standings.
They still are trying to learn to deal with adversity -- the Oilers endured droughts of 0-4, 0-6-1 and 0-5-1 before the league’s holiday break in December -- and captain Andrew Ference, a Penguins alum, said his teammates must learn to cope with tough times.
And not allow them to gain momentum.
“Have a short memory, erase what happened and get on with it,” he said. “Get over it.”  (mct)