Penguins’ aggressive comebacks not enough, more OT heartbreak

This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW. com. Five times in the last nine games, and now six times in 10 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins ‘ (34-18-16) and Carolina Hurricanes (43-19-6) went to overtime at the Lenovo Center.

The Penguins remained winless in those games (0-4-6), but in keeping with the script, a wild third period went to overtime. After a low-scoring two periods, four more goals followed Bryan Rust’s third-period tying goal as the teams combined for seven goals in the third, as Carolina yielded a pair of leads, but the Penguins also gave up a lead. The back-and-forth fight ended when Carolina defenseman Sean Walker scored with 28 seconds remaining in overtime.

The Penguins finished their five-game road trip, which also began in Carolina, with a 2-1-2 record and a three-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets for a playoff position. While the Penguins registered 12 shots in the first period, no set of eyes in Raleigh would agree they deserved a better fate than trailing 1-0. In fact, that small deficit was its own victory.

Somewhat fittingly, Carolina quickly scored just 10 seconds into the Penguins’ first power play. After an offensive zone draw, the Penguins over-committed, and Jordan Martinook saw the opportunity. Martinook broke for center ice and former Penguins center Jordan Stall easily set him up for a long shorthanded breakaway goal at 9:34 of the first period for a 1-0 lead.