Kessel’s OT goal lifts Pens

PITTSBURGH: Phil Kessel f ound a way t o upstage Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.

The Pittsburgh forward raced down the slot and beat goalie Cam Talbot 42 seconds into overtime to give the Penguins a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.

Ian Cole scored his first goal of the season for the Penguins, and Matt Murray stopped 29 shots. Crosby was held without a point in his showdown with McDavid, but the Penguins rode their depth to keep the struggling Oilers in check.

McDavid forced the extra period with his first goal in seven games, a wrist shot with 2:53 minutes left in regulation that tied it. Talbot played brilliantly at times while making 42 saves but couldn’t get a handle on Kessel’s winner.

The central figures in the biannual meeting between the best players of their respective generations tried to downplay the hype. Probably a good idea. For all the star wattage Crosby and McDavid bring, their respective teams have spent the opening weeks of the season trying to figure things out.

In North Carolina, Tyler Johnson had a power-play goal and an assist, and the Lightning pulled away to beat the Hurricanes 5-1.

Steven Stamkos had two assists, giving him league leads with 17 assists and 20 points, and Nikita Kucherov scored his 11th goal with four seconds left. Both players have 10-game points streaks — one shy of Martin St Louis’ eight-year-old club record to begin a season.

Rookie Mikhail Sergachev also scored, and Vladislav Manestnikov and Ryan Callahan added empty-netters to help the Lightning pad their league leads with eight victories and 17 points. They earned a point in their eighth straight game, improving to 7-0-1 in that stretch.

In Philadelphia, Ondrej Kase had two goals, Anaheim scored three times in the second period and the Flyers lost No.2 overall draft pick Nolan Patrick to an undisclosed injury in a 6-2 Ducks’ win.

Patrick, the talented centre who had three points this season, was checked head-first into the glass by Anaheim forward Chris Wagner, dropped to his knees and needed help leaving the ice. He went straight to the locker room in the second period and did not return.

In New York, John Tavares completed his hat-trick with a tie-breaking goal in the third period, lifting the Islanders over the winless Coyotes 5-3. The Islanders won their third straight. Jaroslav Halak made 32 saves for New York.