Sidney Crosby nets OT winner as Penguins rally past Blue Jackets
Rickard Rakell scored the tying goal with 12.8 seconds left in regulation, then Sidney Crosby came through with the game-winner 2:22 into the overtime, as the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins overcame a three-goal deficit to win 5-4 over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
Pittsburgh trailed 4-1 early in the second period, but worked its way back. Amid some consistent pressure on Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves (38 saves), Rakell converted from the low slot to force overtime.
In the extra session, Crosby, who assisted on Rakell's goal, came off the bench, took a pass from Erik Karlsson, broke free, then went forehand-backhand to beat Greaves for Pittsburgh's season-high fifth straight win.
Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko each had a goal with an assist for Columbus, which had won four of five.
The Penguins wasted no time opening the scoring. Just 1:48 into the contest, Ville Koivunen was in position for a net-front tip-in.
Pittsburgh recorded the game's first six shots on goal before the Blue Jackets took the lead via their second and third shots of the contest.
With 11:39 remaining in the first period, Columbus' Denton Mateychuk snapped the puck from the top of the left circle that went in off the blade of Dmitri Voronkov's stick. Some 27 seconds later, a trailing Mason Marchment pushed in a rebound of Adam Fantilli's shot past Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs for a 2-1 Blue Jackets' edge.
Columbus capped its first-period barrage with 1:22 left before the initial intermission. Mateychuk sent a pass to Werenski, who found Marchenko camped out at the side of the net and he got the puck by Silovs (21 saves).
The Blue Jackets scored just 47 seconds into the second. Werenski, with Crosby marking him, sent the puck from inside the blue line, through plenty of traffic and beyond Silovs.
Pittsburgh cut its deficit to 4-2 with 3:09 left in the second. Off a Columbus own-zone turnover, the puck found the stick of Noel Acciari, who beat Greaves, while alone in the slot.
The Penguins got within a goal just 3:28 into the third, via the power play, when Tommy Novak's slap shot found its way past Greaves.
Pittsburgh outshot Columbus, 43-25, and played a penalty-free game.