Penguins rally to edge road-weary Jets 3-2 in a shootout
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan isn't thrilled with what he's seeing on the ice these days.
The scoreboard is another matter.
Kasperi Kapanen and Jeff Carter scored nine seconds apart in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit and Sidney Crosby scored the only goal of the shootout as the Penguins rallied by road-weary Winnipeg 3-2 on Sunday for their fifth straight win.
Pittsburgh trailed for more than 40 minutes and spent far too much time chasing the Jets around PPG Paints Arena. It's not an ideal recipe for a team that wants to make a deep playoff run.
Still, Sullivan's team is competing amid the mistakes. For now, he will take it.
"I thought it was a high-event game on both sides and fortunately we found a way to win," he said. "But I don't think it was the game that we want to play most nights."
Another spectacular performance by All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry, a fortunate bounce off Kapanen's skate and a miscue by Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck let the Penguins escape anyway.
Kapanen began the comeback by redirecting a pass from Evgeni Malkin to bring Pittsburgh within a goal 6:55 into the third period. The din had barely died down when Carter tied it after he knocked down Hellebuyck's clearing attempt and laced a shot into the open net before Helleybuyck could scramble back into position.
"We know we didn't play the right way the first two periods," Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. "We went back to work. If we play a 60-minute game the way we did at the end, we're going to be on the right side of things."
Jarry, an All-Star for a second time, made 27 saves. He turned away several odd-man rushes in the first two periods, and then made a sprawling stop on Blake Wheeler in overtime.
Eight months removed from a meltdown in the playoffs against the New York Islanders, Jarry is one of the reasons Pittsburgh is in the thick of a tight race atop the Metropolitan Division at the season's midway point.
"He's a guy that lives in the present," Letang said of Jarry. "He's going to focus on doing the right thing in the moment."
The victory may have been the most unlikely of the Penguins' current seven-game run at home that began after a loss to Montreal on Nov. 27.
Kyle Connor scored his 22nd goal of the season for the Jets. Wheeler scored in his second game back from a lower-body injury that forced him to miss more than a month.
Hellebuyck made 36 saves, but Winnipeg finished 3-3-2 during a three-week journey that began on Jan. 2 and included contests in three different time zones.
"We were in a very good game today," Jets interim coach Dave Lowry said. "I like the resiliency that our group showed."
Despite playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the Jets hardly looked fatigued. Not so much for the Penguins who -- despite being given Saturday off following a win in Columbus on Friday night -- looked a step slow at times against a team that hasn't played inside its own arena in five weeks thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wheeler wasted little time giving the Jets the lead, taking a lead pass from Mark Scheifele and flicking a backhand over Jarry's glove 3:28 into the first period.
Winnipeg had a chance to double its advantage twice late in the period but Jarry turned away breakaways by both Connor and Wheeler.
Connor earned a measure of revenge 8:11 into the second when he collected a cross-ice feed from Paul Stastny and buried a laser from the right circle for a 2-0 lead.
Hellebuyck kept Pittsburgh at bay until midway through the third when Kapanen's skate created his ninth goal. Carter added his 12th on a shot from the corner just above the goal line.
"I just had a late decision because it looked like it was going to be icing for a second," Hellebuyck said after falling to 1-3-2 in his last six starts. "Then when I decided, my only play was to put it behind the net and they just have a guy side open right there. Just seems like my luck right now."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would 'of course' be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas if it were available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is 'not interested' in subsidizing future projects.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Passage of harsh anti-2SLGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
Human rights groups and diplomats criticized a law that was quietly passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people.