Kessel Scores Winner To Lift Pens Over Oilers 2-1
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - Phil Kessel broke a tie midway through the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Friday night for their sixth win in a row.
Kessel's goal was his fifth. Daniel Sprong also scored and the Penguins won their ninth in 10 games.
Oscar Klefbom had the Oilers' lone goal. Edmonton has lost two of three.
Kessel scored on a power play 9:45 into the third. His shot from the point was partially blocked by Brandon Davidson then floated past goalie Anders Nilsson.
Jeff Zatkoff stopped 27 shots and won for the second time in two starts this year.
Pittsburgh appeared to score with 4 minutes left in the first period on a power-play goal by Patric Hornqvist, but a coach's challenge determined that the Penguins were offside on the play and the goal was disallowed.
The Penguins had 15 first-period shots, while the Oilers only had five.
Edmonton got on the board 45 seconds into the second period when Klefbom crossed the blue line and unleashed a rocket that beat Zatkoff up high.
Pittsburgh tied the game 9:06 into the second after Matt Cullen won a battle on the boards and fed it in front for Sprong. It was the second goal of the season for the 18-year-old rookie.
Edmonton came close to tying it with 2 minutes left, but Leon Draisaitl's shot rang off the post.
Notes: Pens forward Pascal Dupuis was taken to the hospital as a precaution prior to the game after experiencing symptoms similar to his blood clot history. . Oilers winger Jordan Eberle made his season debut after missing the first 13 games of the season with a shoulder injury sustained in a pre-season game on Sept. 29. . This was Edmonton's first game this year without young phenom Connor McDavid. He suffered a broken collar bone in a win Tuesday night against Philadelphia and could be out for up to three months. . Also out for Edmonton were Justin Schultz (back), Lauri Korpikoski (head) and Rob Klinkhammer (leg). ... The Penguins return to action on Saturday against the Flames in Calgary. The Oilers start a four-game road trip in Chicago on Sunday.
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