The Pittsburgh Penguins got off to another slow start, but were saved by their goalie and a revitalized power play.
After a horrendous looking first period, the Pittsburgh Penguins managed to pull out an overtime victory in the first half of a home-and-home set with the Buffalo Sabres.
Through 20 minutes of play, it had looked like Tristan Jarry was going to carry the team, but the Penguins managed to buckle down and put together a respectable hockey game.
Jarry made 13 saves in the first period to keep the Sabres off of the board, while the Penguins could only muster six shots.
Eight shots and a goal in the second frame isn’t respectable enough either, as the Sabres walked away from the period with a 2-1 lead.
The Penguins power play has been gaining a fair amount of momentum over the last few games, and they were able to capitalize with the game’s opening goal.
A pass deflected found its way to Jake Guentzel who utilized a screen from Rickard Rakell to score his 13th of the season.
It was Guentzel’s fourth power play goal of the season, which is a team lead, and the fourth straight game the Penguins were able to capitalize on the man advantage.
Two quick goals from the Sabre followed to send the Penguins into the third period down a goal.
And it was a dramatic third period as Rakell scored to tie the game early, then Brock McGinn continued his goal scoring pace with a perfectly placed on-timer.
That’s when the real drama began to unfold; in the entire third period, the Penguins and Sabres combined for seven penalties.
Those decisions almost cost the Penguins as the Sabres were able to capitalize with a power play goal while they had the goalie on the bench for the extra man.
With the game tied and in the dying seconds, Sabres forward Jeff Skinner let his emotions get the best of them when he took a slash from Guentzel a little too personally.
Skinner cross-checked Guentzel right in the face, forcing the Sabres to kill off a five-minute penalty to end regulation and a majority of overtime.
It's also likely there will be further supplemental discipline against Skinner for his poor decision making.
All of that time wasn’t needed as Jeff Carter beat Craig Anderson for the game winning goal.
The Penguins extended their winning streak to four games, continued to improve their power play, and will need to refuel quickly as they take on the Sabres again in under 24 hours.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins