Slavin scores in OT, streaking Hurricanes beat Penguins 4-3
Carolina won its seventh straight game and has points in 13 consecutive contests to match the franchise record.
PITTSBURGH — Jaccob Slavin scored 23 seconds into overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
Carolina won its seventh straight game and has points in 13 consecutive contests to match the franchise record.
In overtime, Brent Burns started a pretty passing sequence with his 800th NHL point and Slavin ended the play when he beat goalie Tristan Jarry at the top of the crease.
Martin Necas scored his 14th goal, Jordan Staal his 10th, and Jalen Chatfield added his first NHL goal for the red-hot Hurricanes. Antti Raanta stopped 24 shots for Carolina, which has points in 18 of its last 20 games overall. The Hurricanes, who also have an 11-game road points streak, haven’t lost in regulation since Nov. 23 against Arizona at home.
Sidney Crosby scored his 19th goal, Bryan Rust his ninth and Brock McGinn added a short-handed goal for the Penguins. They lost to the Hurricanes for the second time in five days.
Pittsburgh has lost to the Hurricanes three times in the last three weeks, all by one goal. But the Penguins still have points in 18 of their last 21 games overall.
Jarry made 32 saves. He has points in 14 consecutive games, which is tied with Marc-Andre Fleury for the second-longest streak in team history.
Carolina rallied from a third-period deficit to continue its streak.
Rust gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead at 12:55 of the third period. He worked around Jordan Martinook, cut in front of the crease, and tucked the puck inside the post. But Staal tied the game, 3-3, with a wraparound at 15:34. Staal scored the winner against Pittsburgh on Dec. 18.
Staal played 431 games and won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. He tied Rod Brind’Amour for fifth-most games played in Carolina history and equaled Blaine Stoughton for ninth in points with the goal.
The teams scored three goals during a 32-second span in the first period.
Crosby opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 17:28 and Necas tied the game 15 seconds later. Chatfield gave Carolina a 2-1 lead with two minutes left when he beat Jarry to the glove-hand side with a shot from the point. Jesperi Kotkaniemi assisted on the goal for his 100th NHL point.
The Penguins scored a power-play goal for the 10th straight game, their longest streak since a 12-game run in 2013. Pittsburgh has 14 power-play goals in the last 10 games.
Pittsburgh tied it with a short-handed goal in the final minute of the second period. McGinn converted Teddy Blueger’s rebound for his 10th of the season and second goal this week against his former team.
Hurricanes: Begin a three-game homestand Friday night against Philadelphia.
Penguins: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.