Sports Network | November 19, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby netted shootout goals as Pittsburgh clipped Carolina, 5-4, at CONSOL Energy Center.
Letang used a backhander under the crossbar to open the session, then Jeff Skinner missed high and wide. Crosby tallied through the five-hole of Justin Peters, then Jussi Jokinen’s stick move in the crease was foiled to end the game.
Crosby posted a goal and three assists in regulation for the Penguins, who have won four of their last five games overall and snapped a three-game home losing skid to Carolina.
Chris Kunitz notched a pair of goals and Evgeni Malkin added three helpers to back 30 saves by Marc-Andre Fleury.
Jokinen picked up a pair of goals and added two assists for the Hurricanes, who have lost three of four. Patrick Dwyer had a goal and one assist and Peters allowed four goals on 36 shots.
Brandon Sutter opened the scoring just 42 seconds in, but Kunitz answered on a wrister at 8:55.
Tyler Kennedy finished off a 3-on-1 rush with an easy tap-in from Crosby into a wide-open net at 11:15 to give the Pens a one-goal edge, but Dwyer lifted a loose puck over Fleury with 4:14 left in the opening period.
Crosby broke free of a Carolina checker in the slot to convert a rebound of a Zbynek Michalek point shot 8:15 into the second period for a 3-2 Pittsburgh lead.
Back came the Hurricanes as Jamie McBain whipped a cross-ice pass from the right circle to the left wing for Jokinen’s redirection with 8:41 left in the second.
Kunitz was awarded the go-ahead goal on a power play at the 9:19 mark of the third, as his second-chance rebound got past Peters and trickled over the goal line. A lengthy review determined Peters backed the disc into the net before the whistle sounded to stop play.
Peters was called to the bench for an extra attacker with 1:22 remaining and the Hurricanes tied the game 30 seconds later when Eric Staal gathered a bouncing puck in the slot and fed Jokinen in the right circle for a quick wrister.
Several quality chances by both clubs went by the wayside in overtime.
The Penguins have won both meetings this season…Malkin registered his 250th career assist and 400th career point in the contest…Jokinen’s four points was a season high, as well as his third straight multi-point effort…His last four-point game happened on November 16, 2007 with Dallas in a 6-1 victory over Colorado which saw the Finn post a career-best four goals.