VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Erik Karlsson scored the winning goal at 1:42 of overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to their third consecutive victory, 4-3 over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
Rickard Rakell, with two goals, and Lars Eller added the others for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 32 saves between regulation and overtime.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan praised his team’s resiliency.
“We got down a couple of goals and we just stayed with it, just kept competing and I think we’re capable of coming back in games and tonight was evidence against a really good team,” he said.
“I thought it was a really good hockey game.”
With the point, Vancouver sits atop the overall league standings with 83 points but coach Rick Tocchet was not pleased.
“We’re hanging in there but we need some individuals to up their game, some guys are just OK. It’s been OK for a while and you have to contribute,” Tocchet said.
“Hopefully we get some guys’ legs back and their brains back because we’ve been sloppy.”
J.T. Miller, with a goal and an assist, Nils Hoglander and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver with Tyler Myers adding an assist. Thatcher Demko stopped 36 shots.
”(We) had a pretty good first period, and then just proceeded to turn the puck over and get loose and let a team where, if we had the mentality of winning the game today, we could have killed them in the second period,” Miller said. “And instead we let them back in the game and we only got a point today. It’s frustrating.”
Down 2-0 entering the second period, Rakell scored twice in just over seven minutes to tie the game.
The first came 2:13 into the frame, as he dangled his way through the defense and buried the puck past Demko with an assist from Sidney Crosby, his 1,000th career even-strength point.
“He’s had a remarkable career to this point and he’s shown zero signs of slowing down,” said Sullivan about Crosby, adding that he’s “run out of superlatives” for describing the forward’s performance.
Rakell scored his second at 9:36 with a 5-on-3 advantage, with Crosby finding him wide open in front to score into an open net.
Miller restored Vancouver’s lead at 3-2 at 10:05 of the second. He stripped a Penguins defenseman on the forecheck and bore down on Jarry to score his 30th of the season.
Eller tied the game at 3-all at 9:45 of the third when he skated into the slot and roofed a wrist shot through traffic.
Hoglander opened the scoring for the Canucks at 10:23 of the first period, burying the puck home after a scramble in front.
Boeser doubled the lead with 2:17 left in the first, converting on a one-touch pass from Miller for his 34th of the season.
UP NEXT
Penguins: Visit Seattle on Thursday night.
Canucks: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
