Oct 13, 2002 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Mario Lemieux scored his first two goals since late January and Aleksey Morozov had two goals in the opening six minutes as the Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back from their worst opening game loss ever, beating the New York Rangers 6-0 Saturday night. Defenseman Dick Tarnstrom, scratched from the Penguins’ 6-0 loss Thursday to Toronto, added a goal and two assists as Pittsburgh opened a 4-0 lead with 61/2 minutes left in the first period.

Penguins goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin, replacing opening game starter Johan Hedberg, turned aside 30 shots for his first victory at home since March 10, 2001, and his first shutout since Feb. 14, 2000, against Vancouver. He won only three times overall last season, but is 7-1-2 in his career against the Rangers.

Morozov enjoyed a four-point night, also setting up two goals, as Pittsburgh ended an 11-game winless streak (0-9-1-1) dating to last season.

The Rangers played their third game in four nights and looked it, especially without stars Eric Lindros (one-game suspension) and Pavel Bure (strep throat).

They appeared tired and ragged from the start, especially after Morozov and Lemieux scored 16 seconds apart to make it 2-0 with only 3:03 gone.

Since beating Carolina 4-1 in their opener Wednesday night, the Rangers have been outscored 10-1 in losses to Montreal and Pittsburgh, giving up three goals in the second period Friday and four in the first period Saturday.

Morozov drew a tripping penalty 39 seconds into the game but, seconds after coming out of the penalty box, grabbed Tarnstrom’s up-ice pass and cleanly beat goalie Mike Richter with a backhander on a breakaway at 2:48.

Even before that goal could be announced, Lemieux pounced on a rebound of Alexei Kovalev’s shot that Richter left in the crease and swiped it in for his first goal since Jan. 26 against Atlanta. He missed nearly three-quarters of last season with an injured hip and didn’t play after Feb. 27, just after the Olympic break.

Lemieux also scored midway through the third period, ending the Penguins’ 0-for-15 skid on the power play to start the season.

Penguins coach Rick Kehoe broke up all four lines and his three defensive pairings, with Kovalev joining Lemieux and Morozov on the top line. They finished with 10 points, with Kovalev getting three assists.

The Rangers lost their eighth straight in Pittsburgh and are 2-10-1 in their last 13 games there, last winning on Jan. 25, 2000.

NOTES: The Rangers are 1-for-18 on the power play. … Kehoe might have been sending a message by scratching defensemen Janne Laukkanen and Hans Jonsson, two of his most experienced players.