PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jeff Carter scored the deciding goal in a shootout and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night.
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, who has struggled in shootouts this season, gave an emphatic fist pump after stopping Anton Lundell to win it. Jarry also denied Aleksander Barkov and former Penguin Patric Hornqvist.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the tiebreaker for the Panthers, who lost their third straight after opening the season with wins in 10 of their first 11 games.
Bryan Rust also converted in the shootout for Florida, and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang.
Evan Rodrigues scored his fourth goal and Teddy Blueger his third in regulation for Pittsburgh. Jarry made 36 saves for the Penguins, who won for the second time in seven games. Pittsburgh has 13 wins and points in 17 of the last 20 meetings against the Panthers dating to Dec. 20, 2014.
Barkov scored his ninth in regulation, and Frank Vatrano netted his third for Florida. Bobrovsky made 31 saves.
Pittsburgh killed off a 4-on-3 power play in the final 1:31 of overtime.
Barkov tied it 2-all at 2:30 of the third period when he beat Jarry with a glove-side wrist shot. Barkov has a point in each of his last eight games.
Anthony Duclair appeared to score the go-ahead goal for Florida at 15:15 of the third, but Pittsburgh challenged and the goal was wiped out after a replay review because of an offside call.
Blueger scored the opening goal at 13:37 of the first. Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson, who spent five seasons with the Panthers, earned a secondary assist.
Vatrano answered for the Panthers at 16:55. He finished a 2-on-1 with Lundell and scored on a blocker-side wrist shot. Sam Reinhart, who had an assist, has points in nine of his last 12 games.
Rodrigues gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead entering the third period when he scored on a partial breakaway at 17:53 of the second.
WORKING OVERTIME
Pittsburgh played its fourth straight overtime game. It was the first time since April 2014 that the Penguins played four overtime games in a row. The Penguins are 2-0-2 in their last four overtimes.
Overall, six of Pittsburgh’s 12 games have gone past regulation.
INJURY UPDATE
Penguins defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel returned after missing three games in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. But Pettersson left in the first period following a hard hit from Owen Tippett and did not return.
Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin and coach Mike Sullivan all missed their fourth games for Pittsburgh, still in the COVID-19 protocol.
Bobrovsky returned for Florida after missing three games because of an injury. He served as a backup during Tuesday’s loss against New Jersey. In seven starts, he’s allowed more than two goals just once, in a season-opening overtime win against Pittsburgh.
HORNQVIST HOMECOMING
Hornqvist played in Pittsburgh for the first time since he was traded to the Panthers on Sept. 4, 2020, for Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour.
Hornqvist spent six seasons in Pittsburgh, from 2014-20, and helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17. He recorded 132 goals and 264 points in 407 regular-season games, along with 22 goals and 38 points in 66 playoff contests. Only Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored more goals at PPG Paints Arena during that time than Hornqvist, who had 71.
Hornqvist, who scored Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2017, has 15 goals in 58 games with Florida.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Close a four-game road trip Saturday at Tampa Bay.
Penguins: Visit Ottawa on Saturday. Pittsburgh plays five of its next six and 11 of 14 on the road.
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