Blues keep Lemieux scoreless in return

PITTSBURGH -- Mario Lemieux was all he hoped to be -- for one period. After that, the St. Louis Blues were exactly what they've been for weeks: a streaking team that looks like it might get better.

Lemieux played for the first time in nearly two months, but his return wasn't enough to get Pittsburgh a badly needed victory as Scott Mellanby had two goals in the Blues' 4-1 win Saturday.

Cory Stillman and Keith Tkachuk scored less than two minutes apart in the third period as the Blues weathered an early Pittsburgh flurry to win their fifth in a row.

Lemieux went scoreless in his first game since Nov. 14 following a season-long problem with hip pain, but couldn't help the slumping Penguins sustain a dominating first period in which they led 1-0 and easily could have taken a bigger lead.

Lemieux played 23 minutes, 15 seconds, or slightly more than he wanted in his 800th career game, but had only one shot and was a minus-2.

"I felt good in the first period skating-wise, but my conditioning is still not there yet," Lemieux said. "That showed up in the second and third periods. But you've got to start somewhere."

Lemieux estimated it will take 2-3 weeks to get back into top shape, or shortly before he captains Canada in the Winter Olympics.

"He really got us going in the first period, and I thought it was going to be a big game for us," Penguins forward Alexei Kovalev said.

Instead, the Blues swept a three-game road trip that began in California, and won for the first time in 11 games in Pittsburgh since Nov. 8, 1990. The Penguins were 9-0-1 during that streak.

Mellanby tied it midway through the second period with a power-play goal, then got his second of the game and seventh of the season during a three-goal Blues third period. Tkachuk had a goal and two assists.

"Mario's an amazing player and he showed that in the first period," Mellanby said. "Every time he's on the ice you're scared to death, because you think you've got him and you don't. I thought in the first period, he was dominant."

Stillman got the tiebreaking goal at 9:56 of the third, and Tkachuk made it a two-goal game 1:44 later with his 20th of the season. Mellanby scored again at 15:51 after an extended sequence in which the Penguins couldn't get the puck out from behind their own net, causing goalie Johan Hedberg to break his stick on the crossbar in frustration.

No Philly welcome for Lindros

PHILADELPHIA -- Eric Lindros received a mixture of cheers and boos when he stepped on the ice at the First Union Center for the first time in 20 months Saturday.

In a city known for its volatile behavior -- fans once cheered the temporary paralysis of Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin and threw batteries at St. Louis Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew -- it wasn't exactly the reception some people expected, especially since Lindros now plays for the hated New York Rangers.

"They should boo him out of the building," said Sam Crenshaw, a Flyers fan from Cherry Hill, N.J.

Lindros hadn't played in Philadelphia since getting knocked out of the 2000 Eastern Conference finals.

He sat out last season after declining an $8.5 million qualifying offer from the Flyers.

-- From wire reports