PITTSBURGH — It’s been a couple of weeks since the Penguins coughed up a third-period lead.
At least this time they were able to rally back to pull off an incredible victory.
But Bryan Rust scored with 24.8 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Then Jake Guentzel, who set up Rust, won it in OT. Their 4-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena snapped their two-game losing streak.
Two breakdowns in the third period had the Penguins staring at another loss.
The Ducks pulled back even at 2-2 after Pierre-Olivier Joseph stepped up at his blue line to try to defend Zegras. The slippery forward danced around Joseph, then on the 2-on-1 that ensured he set up John Klingberg for the tying tally.
Trevor Zegras put the Ducks ahead with 4:20 left in regulation. The Penguins gave Ryan Strome tons of time to walk out of the left corner. Brian Dumoulin just lying on his stomach in front of goal Casey DeSmith certainly didn’t help there. Strome set up Zegras, who fired the go-head goal past DeSmith’s glove.
The Penguins played a pretty solid game in the first two periods to build that lead.
Birthday boy Jason Zucker celebrated his 31st with a wraparound goal 4:16 into the first period. When he tucked the puck inside the right post, he became the first Penguins player to score on his birthday since Riley Sheahan in 2017.
Zucker has arguably been Pittsburgh’s most impactful player the last two weeks, scoring goals, dropping his gloves and crashing into opponents in all three zones. That goal helped the Penguins put a sloppy start in the rearview mirror.
The Ducks tied it up, 1-1, with a power-play tally late in the first period. DeSmith made the first save then sprawled to kick out the rebound try. But the puck skittered through the goalie’s pads and across the crease to Adam Henrique, who tapped it into the net for one of the easiest goals of his 13-year NHL career.
Midway through the period, the Penguins emerged from a furious scramble in front of John Gibson, the Ducks netminder and Gibsonia native with the lead.
Gibson busted out breakdance moves in the blue paint as the Penguins attempted four shots in the span of eight seconds. He got his right pad on Rickard Rakell’s rebound try. Zucker’s through-the-legs shot didn’t make it on goal. Gibson lay on the goal line, his pads stacked, as Simon Benoit blocked another.
Finally, Evgeni Malkin swatted in the puck before he plopped his glove on it.
The penalty kill, Marcus Pettersson’s sliding shot block and a beautiful glove save from DeSmith at the buzzer ensured they took that lead into intermission.
Young Mason McTavish was staring at a yawning cage after Cam Fowler slipped a pass to him at the right faceoff dot. Across the ice, Zegras had raised his hands toward the rafters in anticipation. But DeSmith loaded up a big push toward the left post then flashed the leather to keep the Penguins in front, 2-1.
DeSmith has had difficulty stringing together quality starts and has won just six of his 17 starts this season. He stopped 34 shots in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Carolina. Two days later, he delivered another solid showing, making 26 saves.
ICE CHIPS
-- For a second straight game, the Penguins squandered a long 5-on-3 power play. Leading, 2-1, in the second period, they were to get a two-man advantage for 1:40. But after Gibson stopped a point-blank shot from Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel took a hooking penalty, bringing another 5-on-3 power play to an end.
-- Jan Rutta was a surprise scratch. The blue-liner took part in Monday’s morning skate but was not in the lineup. Mark Friedman took his spot in the lineup against the Ducks. Rutta missed a practice for “a maintenance day” last week.
-- Jonathan Gruden made his NHL debut against the Ducks. He centered the fourth line, nicked the post with a first-period shot and received 7:02 of ice time.
-- Danton Heinen and Taylor Fedun were the Penguins’ healthy scratches.
-- Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling returned to team practices Monday, participating in the morning skate. Both players wore non-contact jerseys at the skate.
-- The Penguins expect Kris Letang to return to the team in the coming days.
COMING UP
The Penguins are scheduled to practice Tuesday in Cranberry then travel Ottawa to play the Senators on Wednesday. The teams will rematch here Friday.
