PHILADELPHIA (AP) Matt Murray made 50 saves and Sidney Crosby had a goal and a two assists to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.

Jake Guentzel and Nick Bjugstad also scored and Kris Letang had an empty-netter for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game losing streak while winning for just the fourth time in the last 12. Pittsburgh entered holding the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jakub Voracek scored for Philadelphia, which lost for just the second time in 11 games. The Flyers could've pulled within four points of Pittsburgh with a victory, but now stand eight points behind the Penguins.

Flyers rookie goalie Carter Hart had his eight-game win streak halted, falling one game shy of setting an NHL record for consecutive victories prior to turning 21 years old. The 20-year-old also finished a game short of tying Pelle Lindbergh for the Flyers' rookie record for wins in a row. Hart had 24 saves.

Murray was a wall for the Penguins, withstanding an offensive flurry by Philadelphia that included a franchise-record 28 shots in the second period.

Crosby put the Penguins up 1-0 with a fluky goal with 11:41 left in the first period. Hart lost sight of the puck behind the net and it caromed off the glass to Crosby to the right of the crease. With Hart still looking the other way, Crosby shot into the empty half of the net for his 24th of the season and 40th goal in 65 career games against Philadelphia. The Penguins' star has scored against the Flyers more than any other team.

Bjugstad made it 2-0 7:04 into the second with a wrist shot from a sharp angle, an uncharacteristically soft goal for Hart. It was the sixth of the season for Bjustad and his first with the Penguins since being acquired from Florida on Feb. 1.

The Flyers appeared to score with 7:07 left in the second when Nolan Patrick's rebound crossed the goal line, but the referee whistled the play dead when he thought Murray had gloved Travis Konecny's initial shot.

Guentzel scored on a wraparound with 5:14 remaining in the third to make it 3-0. It was the team-leading 27th goal for Guentzel.

Voracek finally got Philadelphia on the board 40 seconds later on the power play, when he lifted the puck over Murray from close range.

The Flyers gained the man-advantage when Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin received a match penalty with 4:54 left for hitting Michael Raffl in the head with his stick. Malkin returned after missing five straight games due to an upper body injury and had an assist.

NOTES: Pittsburgh D Olli Maatta didn't return after being checked into the boards by Phil Varone with six minutes left in the first. . The teams will next play each other on Feb. 23 in an outdoor game at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles. The season series is tied 1-1, as the Flyers won 4-2 ON Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh. . Hart was the seventh different Flyers goalie, including six starters, to appear in the last seven meetings against Pittsburgh. ... Letang passed Paul Coffey for most goals by a Penguins defenseman.

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh: Play the first of three straight at home against Edmonton on Wednesday.

Philadelphia: At Minnesota on Tuesday.

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Evgeni Malkin will have a hearing for swinging his stick at Michael Raffl's head after he was punched from behind late in the third period of Monday's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Malkin was assessed a match penalty on the play.

The Flyers were able to capitalize once on the five-minute power play, but the Penguins would go on to win 4-1.

Monday marked Malkin's first game since Jan. 30, as he missed the last five contests with an upper-body injury.

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The Montreal Canadiens have acquired forward Nate Thompson and a fifth-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a fourth-round selection, the team announced Monday.

Neither of the picks originally belonged to the teams trading them; the selection sent to Montreal was the Arizona Coyotes' and the pick going to Los Angeles came from the Calgary Flames.

Thompson has suited up in 53 games for the Kings this season, recording four points in 12:55 per contest while winning 53 percent of his draws. He'll likely slot in as the Canadiens' fourth-line center.

The 34-year-old carries a cap hit of $1.65 million before hitting unrestricted free agency at season's end.

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Every Monday, theScore will offer a weekly fantasy hockey column detailing a handful of moves you should make. Ownership percentages and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.

Buy low on Patrik Laine

Team: Jets
Position: LW/RW
Ownership: 99 percent

Laine has just two goals in his last 24 games and is on pace for career worsts in goals and points, despite generating the same amount of scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances that he did during his 44-goal campaign a year ago.

However, with ample cap space this season before things get tight in the summer, you can bet the Jets will be in heavy pursuit of a top rental candidate at the trade deadline - such as Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, or Artemi Panarin - to add to their second line and help ignite Laine, as Paul Stastny did a year ago.

Pick up Dylan Strome

Team: Blackhawks
Position: C
Ownership: 23 percent

What a difference a change of scenery can make. Strome has 30 points in 32 games since joining the Blackhawks after tallying just six points in 20 games in a sheltered fourth-line role with the Coyotes. The Blackhawks' second line featuring Strome and OHL teammate Alex DeBrincat is humming right now during the club's hot streak, led by Strome's 14 points in seven games. He needs to be owned everywhere.

Add Tyler Toffoli

Team: Kings
Position: RW
Ownership: 25 percent

Toffoli, who's been a victim of a low on-ice shooting percentage all season, is finally starting to have some bounces go his way, as he's registered six goals - as well as four assists - over his last nine games. He could be in line for some more ice time if Los Angeles manages to trade some of its veteran forwards before the deadline.

Take advantage of Anders Nilsson's hot streak

Team: Senators
Position: G
Ownership: 10 percent

Nilsson is 6-2-0 with a .949 save percentage over his last eight games. Unlike most teams hovering near the bottom of the standings, the Senators have the incentive to win since they don't own their first-round pick this year. The veteran netminder's strong play likely has an expiration date, but fantasy owners should ride his hot streak while it lasts.

Cut ties with Corey Perry

Team: Ducks
Position: RW
Ownership: 27 percent

Perry has struggled since re-joining the slumping Ducks after preseason knee surgery, tallying just one assist with a minus-6 rating in five games. Think about how long it took the Maple Leafs' William Nylander to get back up to speed after holding out the first two months of the season. Nylander is over a decade younger than Perry - who already showed signs of decline over the last two seasons - and was fully healthy. Now that the 33-year-old is playing catch up in a younger man's game, the chances of him hitting his stride at any point this season are awfully slim. He isn't worth owning even in 16-team leagues.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by Scott Cullen and Ian Tulloch, both of The Athletic, to discuss a variety of topics:

• Timing/fallout of Ducks firing Randy Carlyle
• The Elias Pettersson effect in Vancouver
• How Edmonton should approach the trade deadline
• What's gone right, wrong in Coyotes' rebuild

... and more!

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Details on every trade made before the deadline on Monday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET:

Feb. 9: Canadiens, Flyers swap depth pieces

Feb. 8: Predators, Coyotes swing minor deal

Feb. 6: Predators add grit with McLeod

Feb. 6: Predators land Boyle

Feb. 6: Sens, Avs make minor trade

Feb. 1: Pens, Panthers pull off 4-player deal

Jan. 30: Wild, Devils swing minor deal

Jan. 28: Kings deal Muzzin to Leafs

Jan. 28: Stars acquire Oleksiak from Penguins

Jan. 24: Kings, Blackhawks make minor swap

Jan. 21: Wild get Hunt

Notes: Golden Knights will receive the better 6th-round pick of Wild or Capitals (both currently owned by Minnesota).

Jan. 17: Flyers, Sabres swap forwards

Jan. 17: Hurricanes flip Rask for Niederreiter

Jan. 17: Ducks acquire Del Zotto for Schenn

Jan. 17: Ducks, Pens agree to minor trade

Jan. 16: Ducks send Aberg to Minnesota

Jan. 14: Rangers acquire Brickley

Jan. 14: Cogliano traded for Shore

Jan. 11: Lightning, Blackhawks trade defensemen, picks

Jan. 11: Coyotes acquire Weal

Jan. 11: Bruins, Sens make minor deal

Jan. 11: Sens, Leafs swap forwards

Jan. 3: Blues add goalie

Jan. 2: Senators, Canucks trade goalies

Dec. 30: Oilers deal for Manning

Dec. 30: Oilers acquire Petrovic

Dec. 29: Leafs add Hutchinson

Dec. 28: Ducks send Fiore to Arizona

Dec. 10: Ducks trade Olesky to Toronto

Dec. 5: Pens, Sens make 4-player swap

Dec. 3: Ducks get Sprong

Dec. 3: Canucks acquire Leivo

Nov. 27: Leafs send Nielsen to Calgary

Nov. 25: Dylan Strome traded to Chicago

Nov. 22: Oilers acquire Wideman

Notes: Senators will get the pick Edmonton received from St. Louis in the Jakub Jerabek trade.

Nov. 21: Kings, Wild make minor deal

Nov. 16: Ryan Strome traded to Rangers

Nov. 14: Penguins swap Hagelin for Pearson

Nov. 10: Fedun traded to Dallas

Notes: Sabres get the pick if Fedun plays in more than 25 games during the 2018-19 season.

Oct. 18: Lightning get Hults

Oct. 3: Olofsson dealt to Montreal

Oct. 1: Predators acquire Baptiste

Oct. 1: Flames trade Kulak to Montreal

Oct. 1: Leafs deal Carrick to Stars

Notes: The pick becomes a 6th rounder if Carrick plays at least 50 games in the 2018-19 season.

Oct. 1: Oilers send Jerabek to St. Louis

Sept. 13: Sharks acquire Karlsson

Notes: San Jose's 2019 1st-round pick will go to Buffalo if the Sharks make the playoffs this season. If San Jose misses the playoffs, Ottawa gets the 2019 1st-round pick. If the Sharks make the playoffs, the Senators get San Jose's 2020 1st-round pick. The Senators get the better of San Jose or Florida's 2nd-round pick in 2019, both of which are owned by the Sharks. Ottawa gets a 1st-round pick in 2021 or 2022 if Karlsson is traded back to the Eastern Conference. If the Sharks re-sign Karlsson or make the Stanley Cup Final, the 2nd-round pick in 2021 becomes a 1st-round pick.

Sept. 11: Bruins ship McQuaid to New York

Sept. 10: Canadiens swap Pacioretty for Tatar

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