PITTSBURGH (AP) — Erik Karlsson scored 49 seconds into overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Vegas tied it late in regulation on a slapshot by Noah Hanifin with 6 seconds remaining.
The Golden Knights never touched the puck in the extra period. Pittsburgh controlled the faceoff and held onto it until Karlsson ripped his ninth goal of the season from just above the right circle.
Sidney Crosby scored twice for Pittsburgh, which has won two straight. The Penguins superstar now has 23 goals on the season, including five in his last five games. Tristan Jarry made 35 saves in his first home start in nearly two months.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his 25th goal of the season on a one-timer in the second period. Jack Eichel assisted on Dorofeyev’s goal to give him 78 points, tying William Karlsson’s single-season club record set in 2017-18.
Vegas dominated play for lengthy stretches but struggled to solve Jarry. The Golden Knights needed a rocket from Hanifin and a screen by Tomas Hertl in front to earn at least a point.
Takeaways
Golden Knights: Vegas is in a tight race with Edmonton for the Pacific Division title. They might regret their inability to take down one of the NHL's worst teams when the playoff picture is settled next month.
Penguins: Despite the late goal, Jarry was excellent most of the night. If he can build momentum down the stretch, it could either make him a more palatable trade target this summer or perhaps even revitalize his career in Pittsburgh.
Key moment
Jarry was excellent all night, including a series of saves midway through the third period that had the crowd that booed him frequently earlier in the year cheering his name instead.
Key stat
Crosby is the seventh player in NHL history to reach 70 points in 15 seasons.
Up next
Vegas continues a four-game road trip on Thursday in Columbus. Penguins host St. Louis on Thursday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Will Graves, The Associated Press
