Tommy Novak scores OT winner as Penguins erase 3-goal hole vs. Bruins
Tommy Novak scored 17 seconds into overtime, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins rally from a 3-0 deficit to beat the visiting Boston Bruins 5-4 on Sunday.
Pittsburgh, which was playing without Sidney Crosby (injured) and Evgeni Malkin (suspended) for the second straight game, scored five of the final six goals to break a three-game skid (0-2-1).
On the opening shift of overtime, Egor Chinakhov forced a turnover, drove to the net, won a puck battle, and Novak charged down the slot, jumping on the loose puck to bury the deciding goal.
Anthony Mantha scored twice in the third period, Novak posted a goal and an assist and Chinakhov and Connor Dewar also scored for Pittsburgh. Erik Karlsson dished out two assists, and Arturs Silovs made 24 saves.
Boston slipped to 3-2-1 in its last six games despite Pavel Zacha's second hat trick of the season and Joonas Korpisalo's 34-save effort. David Pastrnak also broke an eight-game scoring drought, and Viktor Arvidsson and Jonathan Aspirot each had two assists.
Pittsburgh held a 39-28 shot advantage, including a 15-11 edge in the third period and overtime.
After dodging a bullet with former Bruin Noel Acciari hitting the post in the opening minute, Zacha's second power-play goal in as many games gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 9:27 of the first. The veteran buried a one-timer from the right circle, loading up to bury a cross-ice pass from Morgan Geekie.
Both goalies came up big early in the second before Zacha extended the Bruins' advantage at 8:47. He skated down the slot after Arvidsson whipped a pass from the side wall and slipped a backhand shot up and over Silovs, who challenged the shot outside the crease.
Pastrnak's first goal since Jan. 27 made it 3-0. After Elias Lindholm made a long clearance out of the defensive zone, Silovs misplayed the puck behind his net and turned it over to the star winger, whose wraparound deflected in off the diving goalie's pad.
The Penguins closed the gap to two at 14:44 when Chinakhov scored during 1:38 of a 5-on-3. Rickard Rakell set up Chinakhov for a wrist shot goal from the top of the left circle.
In the third, Silovs made three saves in the first minute to help the hosts complete their first of back-to-back penalty kills and set the stage for two quick-fire goals.
Dewar made it a one-goal game at 6:02, corralling Ryan Shea's long pass off the end wall and lifting a turnaround backhander over Korpisalo from the left circle.
Just 33 seconds later, Mantha tied the game at 3-3 as Novak's pass set him up down the middle to sneak a backhand shot five-hole on Korpisalo.
Boston answered back in the final frame with Zacha's point-blank wrister hitting the top corner for a hat trick at 8:34, but Mantha netted his second straight tying goal when he buried the rebound of Parker Wotherspoon's point shot at 11:18 to force overtime.