PITTSBURGH — Mark Streit made an instant impact in his debut with Pittsburgh, beating Peter Budaj early in the third period to lift the Penguins to a 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

Evgeni Malkin scored twice off assists from Phil Kessel and added an assist of his own in his 700th career game as Pittsburgh snapped a two-game losing streak.

Justin Schultz had a goal and an assist and Tom Kuhnhackl put in an empty-netter for the Penguins as they swept the season series from the Lightning.

Matt Murray finished with 27 saves as Pittsburgh pulled back into a tie with Columbus for second place in the crowded Metropolitan Division.

Adam Erne picked up his first NHL goal for Tampa Bay and Nikita Kucherov collected his 28th, but the Lightning lost precious ground in the scramble for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

COYOTES 4, HURRICANES 2: Jordan Martinook scored midway through the third period to lift Arizona to a win at Raleigh, North Carolina.

Shane Doan added a power-play empty-net goal with 58 seconds left and also had two assists. Christian Dvorak and Alex Goligoski also scored for Arizona

NOTES

PENGUINS: Animal rights group PETA has informed the team they’re skating on thin ice after the NHL toted out actual penguins to appear at a game Saturday. The penguins, which came from the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, didn’t exactly look pleased to be there, especially after a pyrotechnic display exploded unexpectedly behind them, giving them a clear scare that sent them scrambling for cover.

While others complained about the display first, PETA also chimed in, sending a formal letter to the Penguins criticizing the decision to tote out the live animals at the special “Stadium Series” game at Heinz Field.

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