Penguins get OT win vs. Lightning in Mikael Granlund's debut

Mikael Granlund is fully aware of what kind of group he joined after being acquired via trade by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

“Obviously, we all know the history that this team has, all the great things that they’ve been doing,” the forward said to media that traveled to Tampa following his new team’s morning skate at Amalie Arena on Thursday. “Hopefully, we get to make something special this season as well.

“It’s a really good team.”

That postulate was validated Thursday as the Penguins claimed a resolute 5-4 overtime road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the Penguins’ fourth consecutive win, a streak that included a 7-3 home victory against the Lightning on Sunday.

A goal by forward Jason Zucker at 2:13 of the extra period was the difference.

Roughly 24 hours after being acquired from the Nashville Predators, Granlund logged 16:16 of ice time on 23 shifts and was 4 for 10 on faceoffs. Primarily deployed as a right winger on the third line, Granlund saw ample usage on the penalty kill, clocking 3:50 of short-handed ice time.

The Lightning struck first 5:39 into regulation as forward Ross Colton was credited with his 14th goal on the sequence that felled Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

From above the right circle of the offensive zone, Lightning rookie defenseman Nick Perbix whacked a one-timer toward the cage. Battling with Lightning forward Nick Paul above the crease, Letang was struck in the right hand by the puck. While stunned by the contact, Letang remained in the battle as the rebound slid to the left corner.

Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot chased down the puck and fed a pass to the right point for Perbix, who then offloaded it to the left point for defensive partner Mikhail Sergachev. Approaching the left circle, Sergachev subtly faked a wrister then made a deft forehand pass to the slot for Jeannot. Going backhand to forehand, Jeannot fired a wrister that was blocked by the stick of Penguins forward Drew O’Connor.

That led to the puck taking a wild adventure as it struck off the right side of Letang’s face and then the right hip of Colton before it found an avenue through goaltender Tristan Jarry’s five hole. Jeannot and Sergachev recorded assists.

Letang was bloodied by the mishap and took some time to gather himself before making his way to the bench with assistance from athletic trainer Chris Stewart. It took arena employees a bit of time as well to clean the ice of Letang’s blood.

The All-Star right-hander missed the remainder of the first period but was able to return to the ice by 15:06 of the second period.

Jeff Petry, the Penguins’ second-best right-handed defenseman stepped up in Letang’s absence to give his team a lead in the middle period.

From his own right circle, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman attempted an ill-advised stretch pass that was intercepted in front of the visiting penalty box by Penguins forward Sidney Crosby. Gaining the offensive zone on the right wing, Crosby pulled up on the half wall and fed a cross-ice pass to an onrushing Petry, who snapped a wrister from the left circle under goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s glove on the far side for his fourth goal at the 6:06 mark. Crosby had the only assist.

Petry scored again only 25 seconds later to give the Penguins their first lead of the game.

Off a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone by Penguins forward Jeff Carter, Petry gained the offensive blue line on the right. Facing minimal resistance, he went low in the right circle then elevated a wrister through a keyhole-narrow opening between Vasilevskiy’s left shoulder and the crossbar on the near side. Carter and linemate Danton Heinen netted assists.

The hosts tied the game 2-2 at 9:39 of the second period when forward Brayden Point scored his 38th goal on a power-play opportunity.

Settling a puck at the right point of the offensive zone, Sergachev snapped off a wrister toward the cage. Positioned above the crease, Lightning forward Alex Killorn was struck on the backside by the puck. Point, immediately adjacent to Killorn, identified the rebound below the right circle and fired a quick wrister past Jarry’s glove on the near side.

Zucker restored a lead, 3-2, with a breakaway goal, his 18th, at 15:06 of the second.

Out of a puck battle on his own end boards, Carter flicked a backhand pass to Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson. Skating out of danger, Pettersson lofted a stretch pass from his own right circle to the far blue line. Zucker slipped behind Sergachev and claimed the puck in the Lightning’s left circle. Attacking the cage, Zucker tucked a clever forehand shot through Vasilevskiy’s five hole. Assists went to Pettersson and Carter.

Things were tied again, 3-3, only 39 seconds into the third period thanks to Lightning forward Steven Stamkos’ 27th goal.

Moments after a five-on-three power-play opportunity morphed into a five-on-four scenario for the hosts, Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov gained the offensive zone on the left wing and left a drop pass at the point for Stamkos. With ample room to operate, Stamkos maneuvered to the left circle then gripped and ripped a wrister to the far side that glanced off of Jarry’s left shoulder before finding its way into the cage. Kucherov and Vasilevskiy had assists.

O’Connor, in his first game as the Penguins’ fourth-line center following the departure of Teddy Blueger via trade on Wednesday, scored the go-ahead goal with an impressive display of power at 6:59 of the third.

After Carter won a draw in his own right circle against Lightning forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Letang rimmed the puck from behind his own net to the left point, where Penguins forward Josh Archibald deflected it to the neutral zone away from Sergachev. In front of the visiting bench, O’Connor claimed possession of the puck and surged into the offensive zone on the right wing. Fending off Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh, O’Connor cut his way across the front of the crease and lifted a wrister against the grain over Vasilevskiy’s glove for his fifth goal. Archibald and Letang had assists.

The Lightning persisted and tied the game 4-4 with Hedman’s sixth goal at 15:50 of the third.

From the center point of the offensive zone, Stamkos saucered a clever pass over the stick of Crosby to Hedman rushing up the left wing. Fending off Penguins forwards Jake Guentzel and Rickard Rakell, Hedman made his way to the left circle and pushed a pedestrian wrister through Jarry’s five hole. Stamkos and Point claimed assists.

Zucker claimed victory midway through overtime.

From the right wing of the offensive zone, Zucker circumnavigated his way behind the cage and emerged above the left circle, where he offloaded the puck to Pettersson. Surging toward the left corner, Pettersson pulled up and curled back into the left circle then slid a forehand pass to the top of the right circle, where Zucker socked a one-timer that blew past Vasilevskiy’s glove on the near side. Pettersson and Rakell registered assists.

Jarry made 27 saves on 31 shots, boosting his record to 19-7-5.

Notes:

• The Penguins swept a regular season series from the Lightning for the fourth time in franchise history:

2022-23: 3-0-0

2016-17: 3-0-0

2013-14: 3-0-0

2012-13: 3-0-0

• Granlund became the first player in franchise history to wear No. 64 in a regular season or postseason contest. The only numbers the Penguins have never issued for a game of consequence are:

60, 69

78, 79

80, 83, 84, 86

90, 91, 94, 96, 97, 98, 99

• Granlund became the second Mikael in franchise history. He was preceeded by forward Mikael Samuelsson, who had a brief 22-game run with the Penguins in 2002-03.

• Vasilevskiy’s assist was the first point a goaltender has recorded against the Penguins this season. The last goaltender to show up on the scoresheet against the Penguins was one of their former goaltenders, Thomas Greiss. As a member of the Detroit Red Wings, Greiss recorded an assist in a 7-2 home loss to the Penguins on April 23, 2022.

• Forward Ryan Poehling (undisclosed injury) and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel (healthy) were scratched by the Penguins.

• Penguins forward Drake Caggiula, recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday morning, played his first NHL game since Oct. 28. Primarily deployed on the left wing of the fourth line, Caggiula logged 4:01 of ice time on five shifts.

• During the first television stoppage in the first period, the Lightning welcomed back Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta with a presentation on the video board. Rutta, who left the Lightning as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason, was a member of that franchise’s Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021.

• Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak left the game at 14:10 of the second period due to an undisclosed ailment. There was no word on his status.