PITTSBURGH — The Penguins rallied late to salvage a point in the standings Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes but they lost, 3-2, in overtime at PPG Paints Arena.
With the Pittsburgh net empty and 57.4 seconds on the clock, Jake Guentzel tipped a point shot past Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to get the game to overtime.
But 2:20 into OT the Penguins gave up a 2-on-0 rush. Brett Pesce buried it.
The Penguins were coming off a frustrating loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, outplayed from start to finish Saturday as their winning streak ended at five.
The Hurricanes were another formidable foe, but they get it done differently. They defend hard and dog the puck-carrier, limiting shots and scoring chances for their opposition. Mike Sullivan praised the reigning Metropolitan champs before the game, saying the Penguins better be ready to make plays under pressure.
They were up for the task early, managing the puck well and limiting the Hurricanes to just one shot from the slot in the first period and not giving up a single odd-man rush, per Sportlogiq. The Penguins cashed in one of their few chances.
Sidney Crosby, already among the league leaders in even-strength goals, added another to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead 4:34 into the game. Pierre-Olivier Joseph snapped a stretch pass up to Guentzel, who flipped the puck over to Crosby. He corralled it with his right skate then trickled a shot through Kochetkov.
The Hurricanes pushed back in the second period, after another sloppy Penguins power play gave them momentum. Tristan Jarry made big saves on a pair of 2-on-1 rushes for the shorthanded Hurricanes to keep the Penguins in the lead. However, the Hurricanes tied it up two minutes after their penalty expired.
Martin Necas cleaned up a rebound after Brian Dumoulin couldn’t tie him up.
The Hurricanes kept surging throughout the second. They outshot the Penguins, 17-10, while using their aggressive forecheck to tilt the ice in their favor.
Late in the period, Andrei Svechnikov scored on a wraparound to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. Jarry made a glove save on Sebastian Aho after Pittsburgh turned it over in the neutral zone. But Jarry was unable to squeeze the shot. Svechnikov scooped up the loose puck on his backhand and beat the goalie to the far post.
The Penguins had a few good chances against Kochetkov in the third period, like when Bryan Rust got a half step on the defense but couldn’t tuck the puck past the goalie’s left pad. They finally scored in the last minute to send it to OT.
ICE CHIPS
-- Kris Letang was a surprise scratch Tuesday due to an illness. Dumoulin and Jeff Petry were promoted to the top defensive pair in his absence. With Letang out, Marcus Pettersson partnered with Jan Rutta. Joseph and Chad Ruhwedel skated as the third pair. For Ruhwedel, it was his first game since Nov. 15.
-- Kasperi Kapanen drew back into the lineup after he was a healthy scratch for the previous seven games. Danton Heinen was the odd man out up front.
-- Rickard Rakell in the first period attempted to score with a lacrosse-style move, picking the puck up off the ice on his stick blade. But the puck rolled off as Rakell came out from behind the net and he couldn’t fling a shot on goal. Regardless, the winger has been feeling himself lately, playing with a lot of swagger.
-- Pittsburgh still has not allowed a power-play goal since Teddy Blueger returned from injury Nov. 15. Tuesday made it eight perfect performances in a row.
-- Jarry, who had won his four previous starts, made 36 saves on Tuesday.
COMING UP
The Penguins are scheduled to practice Wednesday in Cranberry. Their five-game homestand will continue Thursday versus the Vegas Golden Knights.
