In a game that feature 13 goals, the Pittsburgh Penguins came out on top thanks to the return of a veteran defenseman.
PITTSBURGH - It was apparent when warmups started that the Pittsburgh Penguins were about to have a wild night against the Florida Panthers.
Tristan Jarry was suspected to start in net for the Penguins but was ruled out with an injury right before puck drop.
With Casey DeSmith acting as the lone goalie in black and gold, surely no one expected a 10+-goal affair.
The Panthers got up early by scoring twice in the first half of the period but that was only the tip of the iceberg for the game as a whole.
The Penguins answered back not just to knot the game, but take the lead with three unanswered goals.
Rickard Rakell deflected in the Penguins opening goal with assists from Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang who got back into the lineup for the first time in 11 games.
Danton Heinen followed Rakell exactly a minute later with his first goal since the month of October.
Fighting to maintain a spot in the lineup, Heinen needed that goal just to show he might still be of worth for the Penguins.
Letang had more than just as assist in him for his return as he picked up a well deserved redirect goal to put the Penguins ahead.
The Panthers made sure the period ended in a tie with a poke that floated over DeSmith; the period ended with a combined six goals and 31 shots between the two teams.
The second period was pretty evenly matched until the Penguins’ power play put together another disappointing performance.
Despite having the man advantage, the Penguins weren’t able to capitalize on chances and were sloppy enough to let the Panthers run down and take the lead with a short handed goal.
The power play got a little redemption in the closing minute of the second when an aggravated Sidney Crosby scored on an open break.
Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg was looking to bait Crosby into a fight, but the captain didn’t bite.
With Brady Tkachuk off for a different penalty, Crosby took a quick break and easily beat the Panthers goalie to send the game into the final frame tied at four.
The Panthers gained the lead early in the third, but Drew O'Connor continued to earn his spot in the lineup with a gritty goal in the crease.
The Penguins power play continued it's redemption with a big slap shot goal from Evgeni Malkin.
The Panthers wouldn't go away, though as they scored their sixth of the night to force overtime.
The extra frame hasn't been easy for the Penguins this year but this one looked promising.
The Penguins got great chances but just couldn't beat Alex Lyon, who made multiple huge saves all game.
With the man advantage, Letang sealed the deal with his second of the game.
The Penguins missed Letang's presence in the lineup and in his first game back he proved his worth with four points (2G-2A).
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