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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan ranks Kris Letang as one of the top three defensemen in the NHL.Letang justified that lofty praise in his return after missing five games with an upper-body injury, scoring a power-play goal and adding an assist as the Penguins defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 on Wednesday night.Matt Murray stopped 32 shots in his season debut after breaking his hand during the World Cup of Hockey, while Patrick Hornqvist, Bryan Rust, Matt Cullen and Evgeni Malkin also scored for the Penguins.Letang scored 1:27 into the third period for his first goal of the season, flashing offensive skills comparable to that of the Penguins front-line stars. Taking a pass from Justin Schultz, Letang unleashed a quick wrist shot past a bewildered John Gibson.Letang also had a backhanded shot that was deflected up and off the crossbar by Nick Bonino before Rust used his positioning in the crease to clean it up, extending the Penguins lead to 3-1 late in the third period.Hes that impactful on the game, Sullivan said of Letang. He helps you get out of your own zone, he joins the rush, he makes plays off the rush. When he is in our lineup I think were obviously a much better team at both ends of the rink.Gibson made 29 saves, stopping a penalty shot by Scott Wilson in the third period after being bowled over by the Penguins forward. Gibson was replaced by Jonathan Bernier midway through the third period.The Ducks have been outscored 9-1 in their last two home games, Hornqvist adding the final goal midway through the third period.You dont want to dwell on it too much, its one hockey game, but the way we executed and some of the things we did out there were just out of character, said Cam Fowler, who scored the Ducks lone goal. We defended the whole time, gave them too much momentum and they were able to feed off it. They were able to do whatever they wanted to whenever they wanted to.Malkin put the Penguins ahead 7:41 into the first period, scoring his sixth goal of the season. Chris Kunitz intercepted a misplayed pass from Corey Perry to Kevin Bieksa at the blue line. Phil Kessel then found Malkin in the far circle winding up for the one-timer well before the puck left the tape on Kessels stick.Malkin, Kessel and Sidney Crosby all extended their points streaks to four games, with Kessel collecting six of his team-leading seven assists in that span. Thirteen Penguins recorded a point, Letang the only one with more than one.We were on the puck all over the rink, and when we do that were hard to play against, Sullivan said. Overall its probably one of our more complete games this year.Cullen scored 2:33 later to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead on his 40th birthday. The Ducks challenged that Tom Sestito was offside when playing a long pass from Eric Fehr before setting up Cullen, but video review was inconclusive and the play stood as called. Ducks defenseman Josh Manson whiffed on his chance to bat the puck down with his glove as it passed through the neutral zone.Ryan Kesler had an assist on Fowlers goal for his 500th career point.Game notesPenguins: Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal against the Kings, Sullivan said.Ducks: C Ryan Getzlaf and LW Nick Ritchie did not play and are day-to-day with upper-body injuries. . Fowler is fourth in franchise history for goals by a defenseman with 38, while his 20 power-play goals is tied with Chris Pronger for third among Ducks defensemen.UP NEXT:Penguins: Visit Los Angeles on Thursday.Ducks: Host Arizona on Friday. Y.A. Tittle Youth Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Jimmy Garoppolo Womens Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Joe-Montana-49ers-Jersey/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Ronnie Lott Youth Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Terrell Owens Jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. RIO DE JANEIRO -- It took Swiss mountain biker Nino Schurter eight years to climb all the way up the Olympic podium, a slow ascent that was at times frustrating, heartbreaking and infuriating.He finally reached the top step Sunday.Schurter pulled away from reigning champion Jaroslav Kulhavy of the Czech Republic on the penultimate lap and rode solo to the finish, adding a gold medal to the silver he won at the 2012 London Games and the bronze he captured at the 2008 Beijing Games.I worked hard to complete my medal collection, Schurter said. My story is now perfect.The top two steps of the podium were a reversal of the finish from London, when Kulhavy overtook his biggest rival on the final section of turns at Hadleigh Farm.Schurter broke down in tears that day, so close to achieving his Olympic dream.Now looking back on London, he said, I think it had to be silver there. I worked hard to get stronger and better and Im really happy and satisfied.Schurter and Kulhavy worked together to establish a gap on the rest of the field over the mountain bike course, turned in some places to a quagmire by overnight rain. But the Swiss superstar and reigning world champion was able to up the tempo when it mattered the most.Schurter covered the seven-lap, 34-kilometer course in 1 hour, 33 minutes, 28 seconds. Kulhavy was 50 seconds back while Carlos Coloma of Spain was another 33 seconds adrift to take bronze.This was the most important moment of my career, Coloma said. I had perfect preparation. I had self-confidence. And this is a dream come true.Five-time world champion Julien Absalon of France, who intends to retire after this season, was eighth. World road race champion Peter Sagan had two flat tires and finished out of contention.Sagan decided to ride off road in Rio after scouting the climb-heavy road course and realizing it did not suit his strengths. But the decision earlier this year meant he only had time to squeeze in a couple of mountain bike races, leaving him ranked No. 900 in the world.That also meant he started with the final bib number in the very bacck of the pack.ddddddddddddJust like he did in laying waste to a small race in Wyoming a couple of weeks ago, part of his post-Tour de France training plan, Sagan immediately went to the front of the field.His power came in handy given the conditions.The rain tapered off an hour before the start left, but it left the winding, technical course in the Deodoro neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro a soggy mess. Riders had to dismount and push their bikes over a few particularly slick climbs, slipping and sliding as if they were on ice.Some riders lamented they did not adjust their setup to the conditions.My bike was the same as yesterday, Kulhavy said, but maybe it was a little bit of a mistake because I had a very fast tire in the rear and I had a problem with the muddy hills.Sagans chances ultimately were ruined when his front tire went flat at the start of the second lap. He began working his way back through the field again only for his back tire to go flat.Hardly the only rider to puncture on the stone-strewn course, Sagan finished in 35th place.The race began to string out by the third of seven laps. Schurter and Kulhavy were never more than a few feet apart, the reigning Olympic champ and world champ clearly the strongest riders in the field. Coloma hung with them for a while before slowly losing ground.Absalon was two minutes down by the sixth lap, his chances of another gold medal gone.It was about that point that Schurter finally shook Kulhavy from his rear wheel, dropping the Czech champion with some daring riding on the tricky descents. He was 44 seconds clear at the start of the final lap, all alone on a course jammed with fans.By the final straightaway, Schurter was all alone.Eight years of so many close calls had been wiped away in less than two hours, Schurter at last allowed to step to the top of the podium and hear the Swiss national anthem.Im just really happy, he said. Really satisfied with my whole medal collection. ' ' '