OTTAWA -- Ottawa defeated the Penguins, 6-2, at Scotiabank Place tonight.

It was the fourth consecutive loss on the road for the Penguins (14-8), who had won their previous seven.

The Penguins got defenseman Sergei Gonchar (broken wrist) and forward Max Talbot (shoulder surgery) back, but played without defenseman Jay McKee (infected finger) for the first time.

Defenseman Mark Eaton, who had been questionable because of back spasms, was able to play.

Gonchar hit the left post with a wrist shot just 42 seconds into the game, and Jordan Staal gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 1:09 when he steered a Pascal Dupuis feed past Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire for his sixth of the season. Bill Guerin got the second assist.

That was as good as it got for the Penguins.

Matt Carkner, a former Penguins farmhand, pulled the Senators even when he beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from the top of the right circle with a perfectly placed shot at 12:16.

Milan Michalek put the Senators in front, 2-1, at 2:31 of the second period when he deflected a Daniel Alfredsson pass by Fleury while Guerin was in the penalty box for interfering with Leclaire.

Chris Kelly got a potentially back-breaking goal at 1:29 of the third period, as he came out of the penalty box and scored on a breakaway, and Chris Phillips put the game out of reach by beating Fleury from along the left-wing boards at 5:09.

Phillips struck again from inside the left circle at 7:12 to make it 5-1. That goal prompted Penguins coach Dan Bylsma to replace Fleury, who allowed five goals on 24 shots, with Brent Johnson.

Jonathan Cheechoo flipped his own rebound over Johnson from the left side of the crease at 13:06 to put Ottawa up by six.

Evgeni Malkin scored during a power play at 17:19 to shrink the Senators' lead. It was Malkin's first goal in six games.

The Penguins will visit Atlanta Saturday night before traveling to Florida for a game against the Panthers Monday.

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