Kennedy scores late overtime goal as Pens defeat Avs

Associated Press

DENVER

Tyler Kennedy scored a power-play goal 4:10 into overtime and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 victory Wednesday night that sent the Colorado Avalanche to their ninth straight loss.

Joe Vitale and Jordan Staal added goals for the injury-plagued Penguins, who snapped a two-game skid.

Kennedy knocked in a rebound after a shot from Alex Goligoski bounced to him off the pads of Peter Budaj. Kevin Porter was called for tripping moments before Kennedy’s 12th goal of the season.

Chris Stewart and Cameron Gaunce scored for the Avalanche, who are in the midst of their longest skid since moving to Denver for the 1995-96 season.

With the Avalanche down a man early in the third period, Brandon Yip corralled a loose puck and skated in on a breakaway. But he sent his backhanded shot into the chest of Fleury.

Later in the period, Paul Martin clanged a shot off the post.

Colorado tied the game in the second period on Stewart’s goal — his second since returning from a broken hand on Jan. 14 — and then took a 2-1 lead when Gaunce knocked in a shot from the blue line, the first goal of his NHL career.

The lead lasted only 32 seconds as Pittsburgh quickly countered on Staal’s sixth goal.

The play was set up by a pass from Nick Johnson, who moments earlier headed for the dressing room after taking a flurry of punches from Ryan Wilson.

Pittsburgh also killed back-to-back penalties late in the second period, including a brief 5-on-3 advantage that lasted 38 seconds.

An up-tempo first period featured plenty of end-to-end action and hard hits along the boards, but only one score. Vitale recorded his first NHL goal when he beat Budaj with a high wrist shot.