PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins had two things going for them Thursday -- Jaromir Jagr was back in the lineup and they were playing the expansion Atlanta Thrashers.

Jagr scored on a power-play goal in the first period as the slumping Penguins beat the Thrashers 4-1.

Jagr had missed four games with a muscle pull in his rib cage but had a fourth acupuncture treatment in six days on Wednesday and was able to play for the first time since the injury forced him out of a game at Nashville on Jan. 15.

Last week, he said might not play until after the All-Star break.

"I feel like I can play with that kind of pain," Jagr said. "If I play smart and don't do anything stupid, I should be able to play."

The Penguins had been on a 1-6-1 skid and were 1-2-1 in the four games Jagr missed. Atlanta is winless in six (0-4-2), part of a 1-6-2 slide.

"We got the win and that was important," said forward Rob Brown, who had three points. "I still don't think we're totally satisfied with the way we're playing. We've got to get better and we know that. It was an ugly win for us but we'll take it."

The difference was Pittsburgh's power play. They scored two goals with a man advantage and Brown got his just seconds after a power play had expired.

"That's where getting Jagr back helps," Brown said. "There are so many people looking at him when he's on the ice, it leaves other players open."

The special teams play left Atlanta coach Curt Fraser feeling reasonably good about his team, aside from failing on six power-play chances.

"I feel we played pretty well," he said. "Could we have played better? Yeah. Our power play really needs to start working. I think that was the difference out there tonight."

Jagr looked sluggish and shied away from contact but still scored his 35th goal on a power play at 3:55 of the first period. Jagr's centering pass hit Atlanta defenseman Darryl Shannon's skate and caromed past goalie Scott Fankhouser.

"That's a goal scorer's instinct," Pittsburgh coach Herb Brooks said. "We don't have enough of those. He threw it and all of a sudden it went off somebody's skate. Goal scorers make those plays."

Brown scored his sixth just as another power play was expiring at 6:00 of the first period. Defenseman Hans Jonsson faked a shot and passed to Brown, who one-timed a shot through Fankhouser's legs from the middle of the right circle.

Michal Rozsival scored for the Penguins at eight minutes of the second period off a pass from Martin Straka.

Jean-Sebastien Aubin started in goal for Pittsburgh as he was recalled from Scranton/Wilkes Barre of the American Hockey League for the fifth time this season. No. 1 goalie Tom Barrasso had a recurrence of the hip and groin injuries that sidelined him from Dec. 20 to Jan. 13.

Aubin lost his shutout with 5:19 left in the third period when Atlanta jumped on a turnover. Aubin was screened by Denny Lambert and never saw Dean Sylvester's 13th goal.

Robert Lang scored on a Pittsburgh power play in the game's last minute, his first goal in 12 games.

Between injuries and a four-game NHL suspension for slashing, Barrasso has been unavailable for 33 of Pittsburgh's 48 games this season. He left two other games early with injuries.

The teams had a minor confrontation during warmups. Atlanta's Rumun Ndur and Penguins defenseman Jiri Slegr exchanged shoves and some other players paired off. Order was restored without a major incident.

Thrashers right wing Shean Donovan left the game after two periods for X-rays on his injured foot.