Penguins storm back on Canucks
PITTSBURGH — Penguins defenceman Kris Letang didn’t even see the puck go in. He just heard the roar of the crowd.
That was all he needed on a night when his team was in dreadful shape earlier in the third period.
Letang capped a wild comeback, scoring the deciding goal with 3:06 to play, and Pittsburgh rallied with six goals in the third to beat the Vancouver Canucks 8-6 on Wednesday night.
Letang’s slapshot from the right circle beat Thatcher Demko to the glove side, completing Pittsburgh’s comeback from a 6-3 deficit.
“I was shooting next to a guy, so I couldn’t see behind him,” Letang said. “I just kind of reacted with the crowd.”
Evgeni Malkin scored twice and had three assists, and Jake Guentzel had two goals and two assists. Guentzel, on a three-game scoring streak, has 14 goals this season and six goals and 11 points on a six-game point streak.
Malkin tied a single-game career high, scoring five points for the first time since March 20, 2012, against Winnipeg. He has four goals and 13 points in eight games without Sidney Crosby, who is recovering from core muscle surgery.
“Confidence is huge right now,” Malkin said. “We have a couple bad injuries now and I understand it’s my time. I’m just enjoying every day.”
Bryan Rust also tied a single-game career high with a power-play goal and three assists, while Dominik Kahun and Zach Aston-Reese also scored for Pittsburgh. The Penguins have points in 12 of their last 14 games.
Tristan Jarry stopped six shots in relief of Matt Murray, who started and made 10 saves in two periods.
“We love the resilience that this group shows,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s just a never-say-die attitude regardless of the score.”
Elias Pettersson scored his 11th of the season and his fifth goal in eight games for Vancouver. He has seven goals and 25 points in his last 19 games. J.T Miller and Adam Gaudette each had two goals and Jake Virtanen scored his seventh for the Canucks, who have three wins in their last 12 games. Demko made 32 saves.
“It’s unfortunate,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “This could’ve been one of our best wins of the year and it turns into a loss that hurts. That really stings.”
The Canucks trailed 2-0 through the first 15 minutes but scored four goals on 14 shots to jump ahead 4-2 after two periods. Pittsburgh trailed 6-3 in the third period but rallied with three goals in 4:14 to tie the game.
DETROIT — Andreas Johnsson had two goals and an assist, and the Toronto Maple Leafs routed the skidding Detroit Red Wings 6-0 on Wednesday night for their third straight win under new coach Sheldon Keefe.
Frederik Andersen made 25 saves for his 17th career shutout.
Tyson Barrie and William Nylander each had a goal and an assist. John Tavares and Travis Dermott also scored, and Ilya Mikheyev and Morgan Rielly added two assists apiece.
Detroit has lost seven straight (0-5-2).
BUFFALO — Elias Lindholm scored on a wraparound 1:17 into overtime to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and set up the winner in a game played in front of a backdrop of uncertainty and questions regarding allegations made against Flames coach Bill Peters’ past dealings with players before he arrived in Calgary.