Lightning Score Late Goal As Penguins Drop 3rd Game In A Row
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Victor Hedman scored a power-play goal with 56.8 seconds remaining to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
The defenseman scored from just inside the blue line off Steven Stamkos' pass from the left circle.
Alex Killorn and Cedric Paquette also scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 37 saves, including a pair of in-close chances in the final seconds of regulation. One of them, taken by Kris Letang, required a lengthy video review before it was confirmed that the puck didn't cross the goal line.
Brandon Tanev and Jake Guentzel scored and Tristan Jarry stopped 45 shots for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby picked up an assist and moved past Norm Ullman into sole possession of 40th place on the NHL career points list with 1,230.
The injury-depleted Penguins are without forwards Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust, and defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Zach Trotman. Malkin has 23 goals and 51 points in 38 games against Tampa Bay.
Paquette, who played for the first time this season after being sidelined by an upper-body injury, tied it at 2 on a deflection at 7:07 of the third.
Tanev skated out from behind the net and scored on a backhander at 5:06 of the second before Guentzel scored off a pass through the slot from Crosby to put Pittsburgh up 2-1 with 58.8 seconds left in the period.
Crosby has 34 assists and 53 points in 40 games against the Lightning.
Pittsburgh has 19 second-period goals in 11 games this season.
Killorn opened the scoring midway through the first by redirecting Nikita Kucherov's shot.
NOTES: World War II Medal of Honor recipient, 96-year old Hershel "Woody" Williams, dropped a ceremonial puck. Firty-six of the 70 living recipients were at the game and are taking part in the Medal of Honor Society Convention in Tampa this week. "This is a remarkable, truly special occasion," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. ... Tampa Bay owner Jeff Vinik is seeking an outdoor game in Tampa and Bettman said the league continues to study to see if it's can be done logistically.
UP NEXT:
Penguins: Complete a three-game trip Saturday night at Dallas.
Lightning: Close out three-game homestand against Nashville on Saturday night.
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