PITTSBURGH – Daymond Langkow scored twice in less than two minutes early in the third period and the Calgary Flames – helped by a goal that may not have gone into the net – won in Pittsburgh for the first time in nearly 16 years, beating the struggling Penguins 3-2 .

Kristian Huselius, acquired Friday from Florida in a three-player deal, enjoyed a big debut game in Calgary’s 12th win in 15 games. He set up all three goals, including assists on Langkow’s goals on successive shifts.

Pittsburgh, despite owning one of the NHL’s most proven collection of scorers, has scored only nine goals during a five-game losing streak. The Penguins are 3-7-3 at home, and their 7-14-6 overall record trails only St. Louis, Columbus and Washington among the league’s bottom teams.

Langkow gave Calgary a 2-1 lead by taking Huselius’ pass from behind the net on a power play and wristing it past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to break a 1-all tie at 1:51 of the third.

Pittsburgh defenseman Dick Tarnstrom’s holding call negated the final 1:08 of what would have been a four-minute Penguins power play resulting from Rhett Warrener’s high-sticking major. Langkow scored not long after Flames captain Jarome Iginla missed an open net on a short breakaway.

Huselius and Langkow hooked up again slightly less than two minutes later, with Huselius taking Robyn Regehr’s drop pass in the left circle and steering it across the slot to Langkow for his seventh goal.

Sidney Crosby ended the longest scoring slump of his short career by netting his 13th goal on a backhander just past the midway point of the second for Pittsburgh.

Crosby hadn’t scored in three games since badly bruising his left foot blocking a shot Sunday in Tampa. Mario Lemieux got the second assist on only the Penguins’ second goal in 25 power plays, halting a four-game run without a point that was the longest of an oft-interrupted career that began in 1984.

Calgary, 0-10-2 in Pittsburgh since last winning there on Feb. 12, 1989, took a 1-0 lead midway through the first on a Marcus Nilson shot the Penguins didn’t think was a goal.

Nilson got up after being leveled by a check along the boards and, after getting the puck, spun around and put a 20-foot wrist shot on net that hit the crossbar, deflected off the near post and hit the goal line but did not appear to cross it.

The Penguins didn’t immediately argue the goal and, after video replay judge Dale Ruth apparently took only a quick look at the replay, play resumed. Mike Murphy, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations, said the standard procedure on such goals is for the video replay judge to call the league office in Toronto to get advice.

“It was unfortunate,” Murphy said in a telephone interview with a pool reporter. “This play happened quickly and the video replay judge did not call us. We did call them but, by that time, the puck had been dropped so we weren’t able to have a discussion on it. That’s unfortunate because there was a need for a review on this play, for us.”

Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk could be seen yelling at the officials the next time play was halted, but a goal can’t be reviewed once play has resumed.

Ryan VandenBussche scored his first goal for Pittsburgh late in the third against Miikka Kiprusoff, who made 28 saves.

Notes: Fleury, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, has played solidly despite allowing eight goals in three losses since being called up from the minors. … Pittsburgh was 1-of-9 on the power play and is 2-of-31 during its losing streak. … Penguins forwards Ziggy Palffy (groin) and John LeClair (groin) missed the game. Palffy was hurt against the Rangers on Thursday. … Pittsburgh F Mark Recchi became the 60th NHL player to be in 1,200 games. … Iginla’s eight-game streak without a goal is his longest since an eight-game drought Nov. 12-29, 2003. … Pittsburgh has outscored Calgary 76-68 but has allowed 109 goals to Calgary’s 68.

AP-ES-12-03-05 2207EST

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