Pens survive San Jose in shootout
PITTSBURGH — Short a defenseman on the bench the entire game and short a player on the ice throughout most of overtime, the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a victory in a shootout.
David Perron and Sidney Crosby had shootout goals, and Pittsburgh won its second home game in as many days, 3-2 over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.
With injuries and salary-cap issues forcing them to play with just five defensemen, the Penguins killed off the final 3:52 of overtime while short-handed — the result of Patric Hornqvist’s high-sticking double-minor — to earn an important two points that allowed them to remain in a tie for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
“There’s different turning points in the season that change your momentum both ways,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston said, “and tonight could be a big turning point for our team.”
Perron and Crosby were the only shooters the Penguins needed during the shootout, as both beat Sharks backup goalie Alex Stalock to his stick side. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped San Jose’s Melker Karlsson, and the Sharks’ Logan Couture’s shot struck the crossbar.
Hornqvist and Chris Kunitz had first-period goals for Pittsburgh, which had won just one of its previous seven before coming from behind to beat Arizona 3-2 Saturday.
Ben Smith and Logan Couture had second-period goals for San Jose.
Perron was not expected to play after missing Saturday’s game because of an illness. But he reached out to Johnston in the afternoon after feeling “a lot better” Sunday and in recognizing the Penguins’ fate (they were set to play with only 17 skaters).
Perron was set up by Crosby while wide open in the low left-wing circle as time expired in regulation, but he missed the net.
Ultimately, the Penguins got the win anyway, despite playing with only five defensemen. Christian Ehrhoff (upper-body) and Kris Letang (concussion) are out, and the team’s salary cap situation doesn’t allow for any reinforcements to be called up.
Letang was released from the hospital Sunday after taking a hit from Arizona’s Shane Doan on Saturday.
“I really thought our whole defense corps really picked up their game,” Johnston said.
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