observer_reporter
PITTSBURGH — Ville Koivunen found the back of the net at 3:44 of overtime, completing a late rally as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Saturday night.
Koivunen fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that beat goaltender Juuse Saros for the game-winner.
Rickard Rakell had forced the extra session by scoring the tying goal with 1:06 remaining in regulation, converting a cross-ice pass from Sidney Crosby.
The assist was Crosby's 1,111th career helper, tying Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque for the most assists with a single franchise in NHL history.
Connor Dewar also scored for Pittsburgh, which has earned points in 10 consecutive games and in 23 of its last 27 meetings with Nashville dating back to Oct. 21, 2010.
Goaltender Arturs Silovs made 24 saves for the Penguins, who were without Evgeni Malkin (illness) and Egor Chinakhov (lower body). The victory was Pittsburgh's second straight following a four-game losing streak. Chinakhov has now missed four of the team's last five contests.
Steven Stamkos and Jayden Struble scored for Nashville. Stamkos is now two goals away from passing Dino Ciccarelli for 19th place on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list.
Saros stopped 34 shots for the Predators, who have dropped two in a row and five of their last six. Nashville was shut out 6-0 at Boston on Thursday.
Struble gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 6:40 of the second period, beating Silovs from the right faceoff dot. Jack Drury nearly extended the advantage to 3-1 at the end of the period when he dove at a loose puck and pushed it across the goal line, but time expired before it crossed.
That set the stage for Rakell and Koivunen to complete the comeback in the third period and overtime.
Up Next
Predators: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
Penguins: Host the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.
Originally reported by observer_reporter.