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Penguins extend winning streak to 4 by beating Panthers in overtime | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins extend winning streak to 4 by beating Panthers in overtime

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
Penguins forward Bryan Rust (center) celebrates his game-winning goal with defenseman Erik Karlsson (No. 65) and forward Blake Lizotte after a 5-4 overtime win against the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins’ celebrate Owen Pickering’s first NHL goal against the Panthers in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Panthers celebrate Matthew Tkachuk’s goal against the Penguins in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins’ Matt Grzelcyk and Drew O”Connor celebrate with Evgeni Malkin after Malkin’s goal against the Panthers in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins’ Michael Bunting watches as Owen Pickering’s shot beats Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight in the first period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry makes a glove save against the Panthers in the second period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Panthers’ Sam Reinhart looks for a rebound as Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry makes a glove save in the second period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry makes a save against the Panthers’ Sam Reinhart in the second period Tuesday.
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Chaz Palla | TribLive
The Penguins celebrate Kris Letang’s goal against the Panthers in the second period Tuesday.

There hasn’t been a surplus of reasons to cheer for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.

But a four-game winning streak can certainly provide some level of optimism.

Especially when that fourth victory comes against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Such was the case Tuesday as the Penguins beat the Florida Panthers, 5-4, in overtime, at PPG Paints Arena.

Forward Bryan Rust scored the winning goal at 1:31 of the extra frame.

The victory was as resilient as it was imperfect. It came despite the Penguins giving up a three-goal lead in the third period and being outshot considerably, 41-16.

At an earlier stage in this flawed season, the Penguins probably don’t emerge with a victory under those circumstances.

At least not in their opinion.

“There’s always things to get better at,” Rust said. “For us, showing that resolve in getting these wins when earlier in the year we folded when we gave up the lead I think is definitely a step in the right direction.”

Related

• Penguins get boost with Owen Pickering's 1st career NHL goal
• Left-handed Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea gets it right
• Penguins forward Rickard Rakell 'definitely playing with more purpose'

It’s probably premature to start printing playoff tickets – not that physical tickets are actually printed these days - but Penguins have changed the direction of a 2024-25 campaign that had started badly off course on opening night.

“We have a different feeling on the bench if we give up a couple of goals in the third period like we did,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “What I liked about the group is no one got rattled. There was great conversation on the bench amongst the players. We were just trying to push back, simplify the game a bit, play more north-south, play straight ahead and compete. That was the feeling on the bench, that was the mindset.

“It was very different when we were, maybe a month ago, going through that rough stretch.”

Things appeared to be off to a rough start in this contest as Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist seemingly scored 8:26 into regulation. But a coach’s challenge – initiated by Penguins video staffers Madison Nikkel and CJ D’Alimonte – showed the sequence to be offside and euthanized the would-be goal.

Shortly after that, Penguins rookie defenseman Owen Pickering’s first career goal gave his team a lead at 9:20 of the first period.

Sprinting for a loose puck in Florida’s left corner, Penguins forward Blake Lizotte fended off a check from Panthers forward Anton Lundell and one-hand jabbed a pass to the near point where Pickering scooped in the puck then pumped a wrister towards the cage through goaltender Spencer Knight’s five hole. Penguins forward Michael Bunting supplied a screen on the sequence. Lizotte had the lone assist.

“I just kind of put it on net,” Pickering said. “I thought it might hit (Bunting), but then he kind of pointed at me. Obviously, it’s something you dream of from the time you’re 3. To be able to have that, and to be able to get the win at the end of the night, is pretty cool.”

Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin’s 504th career goal – and sixth this season – came only 72 seconds later.

Off a neutral zone steal by Penguins forward Philip Tomasino, linemate Drew O’Connor gained the Panthers’ zone on the left wing and centered the pass to the high slot. From there, Tomasino one-touched a backhand pass to the left circle for Malkin, who ripped a wrister by Knight’s blocker on the far side. Tomasino and O’Connor tallied assists.

The Panthers claimed a legal goal at 17:24 of the opening period when forward Matthew Tkachuk collected his sixth score.

As a loose puck slid toward the left point of the Penguins’ zone, Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov stepped up and chopped a one-timer that was partially blocked by Lizotte’s stick. Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov settled the rebound with his left skate then slid a pass to the right circle for Tkachuk, who pumped a one-timer by goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker on the far side. Assists belonged to Barkov and Kulikov.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang’s fourth goal came at 6:54 of the second period.

Taking a pass at the left point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk lobbed the puck well wide of the cage on the near side. The rebound hit off the end boards and deflected very wide to the right boards where Letang darted down and chopped a one-timer by the backside of Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt and Knight’s glove. Grzelcyk and Lizotte logged assists.

An unlikely source provided the Penguins with offense 3:45 into the third period when defenseman Marcus Pettersson scored his second goal.

From the left point of the Penguins’ zone, Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling boomed a slapper that Penguins forward Rickard Rakell blocked with the inside of his left leg. Shaking off whatever discomfort that caused, Rakell flipped the puck up into the air to the neutral zone, allowing linemate Sidney Crosby to chase it down and claim possession.

Gaining the offensive zone on the right wing, Crosby pulled up on the half-wall and offloaded the puck to an onrushing Pettersson. Scooting by Boqvist with the puck on his backhand, Pettersson veered into the right and attacked the net. Upon arrival, he flipped a subtle forehand shot over Knight’s left shoulder then managed to avoid colliding - at least violently - with the goaltender by high-jumping utilizing the straddle technique. Crosby and Rakell registered assists.

The Panthers persisted and got a trio of scores in the third frame, the first from forward Sam Bennett (his 13th goal at 6:55).

Digging a puck out of a battle behind the Penguins’ cage, Boqvist fed a bouncing backhand pass from the left of the net to the slot for Bennett, who stroked a wrister by Jarry’s blocker. Boqvist and Tkachuk had assists.

Defenseman Adam Boqvist’s second goal came at the 8:58 mark.

Driving the puck out of the Penguins’ left corner toward the slot, Tkachuk attempted a backhand pass to the far circle for Bennett, but Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea blocked the puck. Tkachuk stuck with the sequence and reclaimed possession, sliding a pass from the right hashmarks to the left circle for Boqvist, who ripped a wrister to the far side by Jarry’s glove. Tkachuk and brother Jesper Boqvist tallied assists.

The Panthers tied it 4-4 at 11:27 via a power-play goal by Tkachuk.

Settling a loose puck at the right point of the offensive zone, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad lobbed a wrister toward the cage. Planted above the crease, Tkachuk reached up to deflect the puck with his stick, sending it off the far post. Tkachuk turned to his left and jabbed in the rebound with a forehand shot. The Penguins appeared to suggest Tkachuk initially touched the puck with a high stick, but those protests fell on deaf ears and the score stood. The only assist went to Ekblad.

The Penguins have seen this happen far too often this season. But they approached this would-be collapse differently.

“It’s a tie game,” Rust said. “Go over the boards, do your job, win however minutes are left. Let’s win that many minutes and go out here and get a win.”

Rust got that win with his eighth goal.

Picking up a loose puck above his own left circle, Rust utilized the expanse offered by three-on-three play and generated a two-on-one rush with Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson against Forsling. As Rust gained the offensive blue line on the right wing, Forsling slid down to eliminate the passing option, prompting Rust to lift a wrister, crowning Knight’s glove on the near side. Malkin had the only assist.

“First, I was looking pass,” Rust said. “Then (Forsling) took the pass the entire way, so I was like, ‘All right, I guess I’m shooting it.’”

Jarry stopped 37 of 41 shots as his record improved to 4-3-1.

“Obviously, it is a swing of emotions,” Jarry said of how the third and overtime periods unfolded. “They get three in a row, and I think our group just kind of stuck with it. We were able to do what we need, and I thought we carried the play in the overtime.”

A month ago … heck, two weeks ago, the Penguins probably don’t win a game like this.

Now, they have four straight wins.

“Finding ways to win games in different ways in this league is big,” Rust said. “Recently, we’ve won a few games in a few different ways. The ability to win games if you’re not playing your greatest is a sign of a team that can do something.

“Hopefully, we can continue to carry that throughout the season.”

Notes:

• Pickering became the 574th player to score a regular season goal for the franchise.

• Grzelcyk has recorded 11 points (all assists) in 27 games this season. He had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 63 games last season as a member of the Boston Bruins.

• Tomasino extended a scoring streak to three games (two goals, one assist).

• Rakell had a three-game goal-scoring streak snapped but extended a point-scoring streak to four games (three goals, one assist).

• The Penguins’ last overtime win against the Panthers was a 7-6 home victory on Jan. 24, 2023. Letang scored the winning goal.

• Rust scored his seventh career overtime goal in regular season play. Only Crosby (22), Malkin (13), Mario Lemieux (11), Letang (11) and Jaromir Jagr (nine) have scored more such goals for the franchise.

• Penguins forwards Cody Glass and Jesse Puljujarvi as well as defenseman Ryan Graves were scratched.

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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