NHL

Penguins, Crosby demolish Devils

PITTSBURGH — Unfortunately for the Devils, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins finally found their stride at home.

Crosby and Chris Kunitz each had a goal and two assists, and Pittsburgh picked up its first victory of the season on home ice by beating the Devils 5-1 yesterday.

The Penguins used a relentless forecheck to overwhelm New Jersey in the third period, scoring three times on 10 shots while turning a one-goal game into a rout.

“We were skating a lot and I think that was a big part of it — keeping it simple,” Crosby said. “As a group, I think we made it easier on each other, not just our line, but as a five-man unit. Our D were retrieving pucks and allowing us to get speed through the neutral zone.”

Andy Greene scored a short-handed goal for the Devils (3-1-3), who were seeking their best seven-game start in a decade. Martin Brodeur was sharp through two periods, stopping 17 of 19 shots, but allowed three goals in the third as New Jersey had trouble with the Penguins’ aggressive forecheck.

“They pressured us with their speed and made us make mistakes,” Brodeur said. “It’s not a fun game when you have a lot of breakdowns like that.”

Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo scored his first NHL goal, Brandon Sutter got his first with Pittsburgh and Kris Letang also found the back of the net for the Penguins, who handed the Devils their first loss in regulation this season.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 15 shots for the win. Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis had two assists apiece.

After going 21-3 at Consol Energy Center last season, the Penguins had been the only NHL team yet to earn a point at home this year. They were outscored 9-3 in losses to the Maple Leafs and Islanders.

This time, Pittsburgh looked more like the team that shut out the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night as opposed to the sloppy defensive club that showed up during a 4-1 home loss to the Islanders on Tuesday, when Fleury — second in the NHL last season with 24 home wins — was pulled after two periods.

“We wanted to make sure we stayed focused and maybe brought the same attitude we had on the road at home,” Crosby said.

The Devils were the undisciplined club yesterday.

They had some defensive lapses Thursday, allowing three power-play goals during an overtime loss to the Islanders, but the Devils still managed to come away with a point. New Jersey couldn’t get away with it this time despite trailing by only one goal entering the third.

“If you’re going to play like that, you might as well get beat 5- or 6-1 rather than 2-1 and fool yourself,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. “It wasn’t pretty and, against a good team like that, if you don’t show up with your ‘A’ game they can make you look bad, and that’s what happened.”

* First-round draft pick Stefan Matteau was scratched for the Devils, who are deciding whether to return him to junior hockey after playing in five NHL games. … Devils defenseman Mark Fayne missed the game with an arm injury. … It was the first of three games between the teams in nine days.