New Pittsburgh Penguins forward Yegor Chinakhov isn’t terribly eager to explain what went wrong for him in parts of five seasons as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It’s pretty hard times,” Chinakhov said in Cranberry on Thursday, three days after he was acquired in a trade from Columbus. “Just hope everything is done.
“I tried to already forget everything.”
Presumably, he’ll have a hard time ever forgetting his first trip to Columbus as a visiting player. On Sunday, Chinakhov and the Penguins staged a furious three-goal comeback to claim a 5-4 win in overtime at Nationwide Arena.
After the Penguins scored three goals in the final 23:09 of regulation to tie the contest, forward Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal at 2:22 of the extra period. It was his team-best 24th goal of the season.
“It was a great test,” Crosby said to reporters in Columbus via audio provided by the Penguins’ media relations department. “And we found a way.”
The result boosted a season-best winning streak to five games for the Penguins as they reached the midway point of the regular season with their 41st contest.
Rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs made 21 saves on 25 shots, improving his record to 8-5-6. His individual winning streak grew to four games.
An unlikely source opened the scoring 110 seconds into regulation when Penguins rookie forward Ville Koivunen, a healthy scratch for the previous two games, scored his second goal of the season.
Chasing down a loose puck on the right half-wall of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany swatted a one-timer toward the cage. From just above the near dot, Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel redirected the puck on net with his backhand. After Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves made the initial save, the rebound trickled loose to the front of the crease, where an opportunely positioned Koivunen was able to sweep in a backhander past Greaves’ right skate. Kindel and St. Ivany had assists.
Ville Koivunen gives the Pens an early lead ????
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 4, 2026
Watch Penguins vs. Blue Jackets on SN1, SNW, or stream on Sportsnet+ ???? pic.twitter.com/y6U5WhMV83
The Blue Jackets responded with the next four goals, starting with Dmitri Voronkov’s 15th goal at 8:21 of the first period.
Calming a bouncing puck above the left circle of the Penguins’ zone, Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk lobbed a wrister toward the cage. Voronkov was stationed below the near dot and deflected the puck with the forehand of his stick to the far side past Silovs’ glove. Penguins forward Tommy Novak and former Penguins forward Danton Heinen appeared to screen Silovs on the sequence. Mateychuk merited the lone assist.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 5, 2026
Forward Mason Marchment’s ninth goal supplied the Blue Jackets with their first lead only 27 seconds later.
Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko chipped a puck out of the defensive zone and set linemate Adam Fantilli loose on a breakaway off the right wing. Attacking the cage, Fantilli was denied by Silovs on a forehand shot, but the ensuing rebound bounced free to the right of the crease where Marchment raced past Kindel and deposited a backhander into a mostly vacant net. Fantilli and Marchenko merged on assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 5, 2026
Marchenko cashed in with his 15th goal at 18:38 of the opening period.
From above the Penguins’ right circle, Mateychuk chopped a slapper that was blocked by Penguins forward Blake Lizotte. As Lizotte hobbled in discomfort, the rebound deflected right to Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. Reading the room for a moment, Werenski slid a pass from the right circle to the far side of the crease, where Marchenko fired a wrister that clunked off the front of Silovs’ blocker before finding an avenue into the cage. Assists went to Werenski and Mateychuk.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 5, 2026
Werenski got in on the act only 47 seconds into the second period with his 15th goal.
Chasing a dump-in on the Penguins’ boards, Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner took the puck from Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and rimmed the puck along the wall to the right point for Werenski. Accepting the offering, Werenski maneuvered his way to the center point to gain some space against Crosby. Finding a shooting lane, he chucked a wrister through a phalanx of bodies and past Silovs’ blocker. Jenner and linemate Mathieu Olivier obtained assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 5, 2026
The Penguins’ fourth line got on the scoreboard at 16:51 of the second frame via forward Noel Acciari’s fourth goal.
Off his own right half-wall, Fantilli tried to chip a centering outlet pass toward the defensive blue line. Penguins forward Connor Dewar read the sequence like a comic book and backhand swatted the puck to the slot. Acciari accepted the pass, turned his attention toward the cage and smoked a wrister past Greaves’ blocker. Dewar was deemed worthy of the only assist.
I hope this Noel Acciari Goal at the End of the 2nd starts something good for the Pens in the 3rd. Let's Go Pens! #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/Ld37XyQFBS
— JK4 From Pittsburgh. Let's Go Pens! (@Joek72) January 4, 2026
Penguins forward Tommy Novak scored his eighth goal during a power-play sequence 3:28 into the third period.
After Blue Jackets forward Brendan Gaunce won a faceoff in Columbus’ left circle, Penguins forward Justin Brazeau hounded Mateychuk into a turnover. Kindel took control of the puck and fed a pass to the high slot. Novak was cocked and loaded for a one-timer, which he cranked past Greaves’ left shoulder. The only assist went to Kindel.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 5, 2026
Things were tied at 19:46 of the third frame when forward Rickard Rakell scored his sixth goal with Silovs pulled for an extra attacker.
After Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson made a composed play to keep the puck onside at the center point of Columbus’ blue line, he fed the puck to Crosby on the right half-wall. Surveying the scene for a moment, Crosby dished the puck low to the right of the cage for Penguins forward Anthony Mantha, who immediately offloaded it to the lower right hashmark. Rakell took the offering and ripped a wrister to the far side past Greaves’ blocker. Mantha and Crosby claimed assists.
"DO YOU BELIEVE IT?!" - @JG_PxP
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 4, 2026
THE PENS COME BACK FROM DOWN 4-1 WITH 12.8 SECONDS LEFT! ???? pic.twitter.com/ZzMYmlY4Bz
“It felt great,” Rakell said. “We were pushing throughout the whole period there.”
In overtime, the Penguins largely kept the puck away from the Blue Jackets and secured victory.
Taking the puck deep into the left wing of the Blue Jackets’ zone, Novak pulled up in the corner and curled back toward the blue line. Fending off Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle, Novak dished the puck to the Penguins’ blue line for Chinakov. As Novak headed to the bench to make a change, Chinakhov dished the puck up to Columbus’ blue line for Karlsson.
Entering the offensive zone on the right wing, Karlsson fed a cross-ice pass to Crosby, rushing off the bench. With no resistance, Crosby advanced on net and tucked a clever backhander through Greaves’ five hole. Karlsson and Chinakhov had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 4, 2026
Notes:
• The Penguins’ last five-game winning streak came from Nov. 4-14, 2023.
• The Penguins won their second consecutive game against the Blue Jackets in overtime. They previously claimed a 4-3 road win thanks to a winning goal by Letang on Nov. 28.
COMEBACK COMPLETE ✅
— NHL (@NHL) November 29, 2025
Kris Letang secures the win for the @penguins in @Energizer OT! pic.twitter.com/0ldmhMKBBj
• Silovs’ four-game winning streak is a new career high.
• Penguins forward Bryan Rust had a six-game scoring streak snapped.
• Defenseman Ryan Shea was the Penguins’ only non-goaltender who failed to record a shot on net.
• Penguins rookie forward Rutger McGroarty was scratched. There was no immediate word if he was scratched for medical-related reasons or if it was a coach’s decision.
• Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton and forward Kevin Hayes were healthy scratches.
• The Penguins were 1 for 3 on the power play. The Blue Jackets did not have any power-play opportunities.
Oddly, referee Cody Beach worked Sunday’s game. He was also on the ice for the Penguins’ 4-3 overtime home win against the Red Wings on Thursday, in which the Penguins were penalized seven times.
• Karlsson (140 points) surpassed defenseman Brian Dumoulin (139) to move into 66th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• Werenski recorded his 300th career assist.
• Heinen, who was part of the bundle of assets the Penguins dealt to acquire Chinakhov, appeared in his second game for the Blue Jackets.
