Full-fledged Flame-out in Pittsburgh
Despite forcing OT with a last-minute goal, Calgary’s playoff hopes fading with fourth straight loss
PITTSBURGH — Justin Schultz took a pass from Phil Kessel and buried it in the wide-open net 2:36 into overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Tristan Jarry made several key stops for the Penguins early in the extra period, and Schultz’s fourth goal of the season helped Pittsburgh improve to 10-1 in overtime at home this season.
Evgeni Malkin scored his 37th goal for the Penguins and added an assist. Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel also scored for Pittsburgh. Jarry finished with 35 saves as the Penguins pulled within one point of Washington for first in the crowded Metropolitan Division.
Mark Giordano, Mikael Backlund and Troy Brouwer scored for the Flames, who outplayed the twotime defending Stanley Cup champions for long stretches before dropping their fourth straight. Jon Gillies stopped 28 shots but had no chance when Kessel slid a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Schultz.
The Penguins had dropped five straight to the Flames, including a 2-1 overtime loss in Calgary in November. The Penguins have turned it around in the interim and wasted little time sprinting to a 2-0 lead. Ruhwedel collected his first goal since Dec. 18 on a knuckler from the point 2:10 into the game, and Malkin doubled Pittsburgh’s advantage 55 seconds later when teammate Bryan Rust forced a turnover by Gillies behind the Calgary net. Malkin collected the puck and flipped it across the goal-line before Gillies could scramble back into position.
The Flames, in the middle of their own fight to stay in the Western Conference playoff mix, responded immediately.
Giordano took advantage of extended zone time by sending a puck through traffic by Jarry 6:14 into the first, and Backlund’s 13th of the season came at the end of a gorgeous sequence in which he deked Penguins star defenceman Kris Letang and walked to the net before flipping a backhand by the sprawled Jarry.
Letang atoned eventually with a wrist shot off the rush from the right circle that ripped over Gillies’ right shoulder with 2:59 left in regulation. Calgary responded again, with T.J. Brodie slipping a pass between Ruhwedel’s legs to Brouwer’s awaiting stick. Brouwer had no trouble sending it by Jarry to tie it with two seconds left in the period.
Also losing their fourth straight were the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ryan O’Reilly and Zemgus Girgensons scored 2:05 apart in the second period as the Buffalo Sabres won 5-3 win over the falling Leafs on their home ice.
Sam Reinhart, Jason Pominville and Johan Larsson also scored for Buffalo. Rasmus Ristolainen had two assists on consecutive shots from the right point that were deflected in during the opening four minutes.
The Sabres improved to 7-5-2 in their last 14, a stretch in which the Eastern Conference’s last-place team continues playing havoc with playoff contenders. Buffalo has now defeated each of the Atlantic Division’s three top teams, including Boston twice, over the past three weeks.
Leo Komarov had two goals and Mitch Marner also scored for Toronto. The Maple Leafs dropped to 0-22 in their past four to match their longest skid of the season.
Frederik Andersen stopped 19 shots in allowing five goals for the second consecutive outing after being yanked midway through a 5-2 loss to Washington in an outdoor game played at the U.S. Naval Academy on Saturday.
Andersen couldn’t be faulted on Buffalo’s first four goals, all of which were set up by fortunate bounces.