Penguins beat Canucks in overtime for 3rd straight win
A goal by defenseman Erik Karlsson at 1:41 of overtime gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 comeback win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia on Tuesday.
The victory extended a winning streak to a modest three games for the Penguins (27-21-8, 62 points) as they make a frantic push for a playoff berth with the NHL’s trade deadline approaching on March 8.
The Penguins dug a 2-0 hole in the first period and gave up a potentially backbreaking short-handed goal to J.T. Miller to fall behind 3-2 in the second period before rallying.
“We got down a couple of goals and we just stayed with it, just kept competing and I think we’re capable of coming back in games and tonight was evidence against a really good team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said to the Canadian Press service in Vancouver. “I thought it was a really good hockey game.”
Canucks forward Nils Hoglander opened the scoring with this 18th goal of the season 10:23 into regulation.
Taking a pass at the right point of the offensive zone, Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers stroked a wrister toward the cage which goaltender Tristan Jarry fought off. Hoglander collected the rebound in the right circle and flung a backhander which hit off the near post. Gathering his own rebound, Hoglander dished the puck back to the right point for Myers who chopped a one-timer at the cage. Jarry made another save with his blocker but allowed a rebound to the right of the crease which Hoglander once again claimed. This time, he lifted a wrister over a sprawling Jarry’s glove with a forehand shot on the near side. Myers and forward Elias Pettersson had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 28, 2024
A power-play score by forward Brock Boeser put the hosts up by two goals at 17:43 of the first period.
Off some sound perimeter passing in the offensive zone, Miller, a native of Coraopolis by way of East Palestine, Ohio, accepted the puck low in the right circle near the corner boards and then centered to the inner portion of the circle of for Boeser who blasted a one-timer that appeared to glance off the stick of Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson and deflect by Jarry’s glove on the near side. Boeser was credited with his 34th goal off assists from Miller and defenseman Filip Hronek.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 28, 2024
Forward Rickard Rakell got the Penguins on the scoreboard 2:13 into the second period with his sixth goal.
After former Penguins forwards Teddy Blueger and Sam Lafferty befouled an exchange on the Canucks’ left half wall, the puck skidded to the slot where Penguins forward Sidney Crosby deadened it and then tapped a forehand pass to Rakell, darting in from the left circle. Tipping the puck off the right skate of a sluggish Myers between the hash marks, Rakell danced his way to the right of the crease and swept a forehand shot past the boot of goaltender Thatcher Demko. The only assist went to Crosby.
Ready to start Rak-ing up some points ???? pic.twitter.com/3zK8cxKqVL
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 28, 2024
Rakell scored again on a five-on-three power-play sequence at 9:36 of the second frame to tie the game.
Corralling a drop pass at the left point of the Canucks’ zone, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin maneuvered to the high slot and fed a forehand pass to Crosby low in the right circle. Identifying a seam above the blue paint, Crosby slipped a clever pass to the far side of the crease where Rakell leaned down and slammed in a forehand shot on a mostly-vacant net. Crosby and Malkin claimed assists.
LET'S RAK AND ROLL!
Rakell makes the Canucks pay on the 5-on-3 and tallies his third goal in two games. pic.twitter.com/ZaWWo26I05
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 28, 2024
A short-handed goal by Miler restored a lead for the hosts, 3-2, at 10:05 of the second.
Outracing Penguins defenseman Kris Letang for a loose puck at the center point of the Canucks’ zone, Miller poke-checked to the neutral zone and created his own breakaway. Attacking the cage, he ripped a wrister by Jarry’s blocker for his 30th goal of the season. Pettersson and Demko had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 28, 2024
Penguins forward Lars Eller’s 11th goal at 9:45 of the third period tied the game again, 3-3.
Off the Canucks’ right half-wall, Penguins rookie forward Valtteri Puustinen backhanded a pass to the center point for an onrushing Eller. Surging into the right circle, Eller utilized Canucks defenseman Noah Juulsen as well as Penguins forward Drew O’Connor as a screen and snapped a wrister to the far side past the blocker of Demko who had lost his stick during the process. Puustinen and defenseman Kris Letang logged assists.
NO QUIT IN THESE PENGUINS! pic.twitter.com/RP3OBHlPhr
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 28, 2024
In overtime, Karlsson’s eighth goal secured victory.
After making an alert play to keep the puck in the offensive zone at the blue line and keeping it away from Canucks forward Connor Garland, Karlsson offloaded it to Penguins forward Reilly Smith charging up the left wing. Curling through the left circle, Smith dished a pass to the right circle for Eller who pumped a wrister on net that was fought off by Demko’s glove on a desperate save. The rebound trickled between the right hashmarks where Karlsson was able to clean it up with a wrister over a prone Demko. Eller and Smith had assists.
WHO NEEDS SLEEP WHEN WE HAVE THIS?! pic.twitter.com/Ci73ZMLAQO
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 28, 2024
Jarry made 32 saves on 35 shots as his record improved to 17-17-4.
”(We) had a pretty good first period, and then just proceeded to turn the puck over and get loose and let a team where, if we had the mentality of winning the game today, we could have killed them in the second period,” Miller said to the Canadian Press. “And instead we let them back in the game and we only got a point today. It’s frustrating.”
Notes:
• The Penguins went just over a quarter-century between overtime wins against the Canucks.
On Feb. 11, 1999, a goal by forward Jaromir Jagr against forward Corey Hirsch gave the Penguins a 6-5 win at the Civic Arena.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 28, 2024
• According to the team’s Web site, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan informed media in Vancouver that forward Bryan Rust will be sidelined on a “week-to-week” basis as a result of an undisclosed injury he suffered during a 7-6 home win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.
• With Rust scratched, forward Jesse Puljujarvi returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the previous three games.
• Penguins rookie defenseman John Ludvig and forward Matthew Phillips were healthy scratches.
• Rakell (98 points) surpassed forward Conor Sheary (97) for 96th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• In 11 career games against the Penguins, Boeser has 15 points (11 goals, four assists).
• Hoglander appeared in his 200th career game.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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