Penguins win first overtime game this season, defeating Blue Jackets

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their first game beyond the bounds of regulation this season Friday, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, in overtime, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Entering the day, the Penguins had been 0-2 in overtime and 0-3 in shootouts.

On Friday, defenseman Kris Letang’s second goal of the season, only 58 seconds into the overtime period, supplied his team with the victory.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry unofficially made 26 saves on 29 shots to boost his record to 7-2-0.

The majority of the Penguins’ offense Friday was generated by forward Sidney Crosby, who had a pair of goals. He opened the scoring with his team-leading 14th score of the season, 6:10 into regulation.

Following a frantic goalmouth scramble in Columbus’ crease, Letang settled a puck in the high slot, veered a bit toward the right circle, then snapped a pass to the left of the crease, where Crosby leaned on his left knee and directed a forehand shot past the right skate of scrambling goaltender Jet Greaves.

Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan’s third goal tied the score at 13:40 of the first period when he converted a rebound off the right skate of Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves.

The hosts took their first lead at 3:51 of the second period when forward Brendan Gaunce scored his first goal while short-handed.

Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski’s eighth goal came at the last second — almost literally — in the second frame at the 19:56 mark.

Letang tried to backhand clear the puck from his own slot to burn off the final moments of the period, but Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle alertly disrupted those ambitions by intercepting the puck. Fighting off Letang and Penguins forward Kevin Hayes for possession in the left corner, Coyle was able to slide a forehand pass to the top of the near circle, where Werenski smacked a one-timer to the far side past Jarry’s glove. Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon inadvertently screened Jarry on the sequence.

Bryan Rust’s seventh goal came only 13 seconds into the third period.

Off the opening faceoff of the frame, Hayes dumped the puck behind Columbus’ net from the center red line. Greaves vacated the crease to rim the puck to the right half wall for a teammate, but those designs never materialized as Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson fought off Wood and kicked the puck with his right skate to Rust. Curling above the right circle, Rust turned toward the cage and snapped a wrister past Greaves’ glove on the near side.

Crosby tied the score at 8:28 of the third frame.

Following a neutral zone turnover by Werenski, Wotherspoon accepted the charity at the defensive blue line and banked the puck off the wall near the penalty boxes to Penguins forward Tommy Novak. Turning to his left, Novak made the easy decision to offload the puck to Crosby, racing off the bench for a line change. Allowing Novak’s pass to bounce off the right wing wall, Crosby hustled into the offensive zone, claimed the puck just below the circle, and, after adroitly going backhand to forehand, he elevated a wrister over Greaves’ blocker.