Staal’s overtime goal lifts Pens past Kings

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Jordan Staal’s overtime goal did more than send Pittsburgh home winners.

He gave the depleted Penguins a rare dose of good news in a week stuffed with injury, suspension and losses.

Staal scored with 18.4 seconds left in overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-1 win over the Los Angles Kings on Thursday night.

“I just buried my head and fired as hard as I could,” Staal said.

Neither team had scored since the first period and it appeared a shootout was on the way. Staal ended any idea of that when he ripped a shot past Jonathan Quick for his fourth goal and snapped the Penguins’ two-game losing streak.

The Penguins have been gutted by injury and played four callups plucked from the minors on Thursday morning.

Brett Sterling, one of those callups, scored his first goal for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh’s Dan Bylsma became the third coach in team history to win 100 games. His .657 winning percentage entering the game was already tops in team history.

“It was a rewarding win, to get the 100th one, the way our team battled here,” he said. “I’ve got the puck. It’s nice to get to triple-digits.”

He wouldn’t have 100 victories in 163 games with this kind of regular lineup.

The Penguins played the first of four games without left wing Matt Cooke, serving a suspension brought down by the NHL on Wednesday.

Fans brought “Free Matt Cooke” signs in support of the suspended forward.

To fill the lineup, the Penguins recalled four players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, forwards Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Sterling and Joe Vitale.

Sterling wasted no time proving he was the right player for the promotion.

Sterling, from Los Angeles, grew up a die-hard Kings fan and dreamed of playing for them. He had to settle for scoring against the Kings, instead, firing the puck over Quick’s shoulder for a 1-0 lead.

Johnson assisted on the goal and the fill-ins were on a roll.