Don’t look now, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are on their hottest stretch of the season and pulled off their most impressive win on Tuesday night.
The Penguins entered Tuesday’s game riding high with three-straight wins — taking down the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames. However, their real test was against the Florida Panthers, and it ended up being a back-and-forth battle.
Pittsburgh opened the game strong as Owen Pickering scored the first goal of his NHL career before being followed up by Evgeni Malkin soon after to make it 2-0. The Panthers would answer before the end of the first with Matthew Tkachuk getting them on the board, but the second period would end with the Pens up 3-1 after Kris Letang potted one.
In the third period, the Penguins went up 4-1 before the Panthers came storming back. Over a five-minute span, the defending Stanley Cup Champions stormed back — scoring three goals in succession to tie the game and leaving the Penguins looking for answers. Ultimately, the answer came in overtime when Bryan Rust potted the game-winner to hold off the Panthers’ full-on comeback and give Pittsburgh their fourth straight victory — winning 5-4.
The Penguins are now 11-12-4 and will look to keep their momentum Friday when they take on the New York Rangers.
Story continues below advertisement
More NHL: Philip Tomasino Thriving Alongside Evgeni Malkin For Penguins
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images