Penguins forward Ruslan Fedotenko has never been known as a fighter, but that might have changed Tuesday night after he tangled with Atlanta's Colby Armstrong less than a minute into the game.

"He's kind of a sleeper there," Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney said.

Not anymore.

In just his second NHL fight, Fedotenko landed a big punch on Armstrong's nose that knocked Armstrong to the ice. Armstrong went to the penalty box and Fedotenko left the game and never returned.

He did leave an impression, though, on his teammates.

"I think we were ready from the start, but that sparked us a little bit," center Sidney Crosby said. "Definitely when you have an emotional start like that, it helps."

Penguins 3, Thrashers 1:    The...

Evgeni Malkin set up all the goals, Petr Sykora and Sidney Crosby scored them. Marc-Andre Fleury made a series of important saves in the third period. Ruslan Fedotenko didn't score, but unexpectedly set the tone with a one-punch fight. For one night, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like the talented team that went to the Stanley Cup finals last season.