Jackson Blake scored the shootout winner as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 after blowing a two-goal lead late in regulation Tuesday night in Raleigh, N.C.
Logan Stankoven, Mark Jankowski, Seth Jarvis and Alexander Nikishin had Carolina’s goals in regulation. Frederik Anderson made 24 saves.
Bryan Rust scored two goals, while Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari also scored for Pittsburgh in a matchup between the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division. Erik Karlsson provided two assists and Stuart Skinner stopped 39 shots.
Jankowski and Jarvis scored within 59 seconds in the third period to give Carolina the lead. Nikishin became the first rookie defenseman in Carolina franchise history to reach nine goals, extending the lead to 4-2 with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation.
Acciari and Rust each scored in the final 2:08 of regulation to force the extra session.
The Hurricanes killed a Penguins power play in overtime. Pittsburgh’s Ben Kindel and Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov both converted in the shootout before Blake gave the Hurricanes the victory.
Skinner stopped 27 of 28 shots to beat the Hurricanes on Dec. 30, but he’s now winless in his last five outings.
Shortly after Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers was helped off the ice with an apparent lower-body injury, Mantha pulled the Penguins even with 56 seconds left in the first period.
Mantha has three goals over the last two games.
Ehlers returned to the ice in the second period and picked up an assist in the third period.
Rust scored the go-ahead goal for Pittsburgh with 8:16 left in the second period. The score came during Pittsburgh’s fourth power play of the game.
Jankowski tied it again 2:49 into the third period. Jarvis broke free and beat Skinner just 59 seconds later, giving Carolina its first lead since the first period.
–Field Level Media
