Aston-Reese delivers Pens win over Jets
The Sabres win streak hits 10
Associated Press
WINNIPEG, Manitoba
Zach Aston-Reese scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:12 remaining off a perfect pass from Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied past the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Derek Grant’s first of the season pulled the Penguins even 5:08 into the third period. Sidney Crosby and Riley Sheahan also scored for Pittsburgh (10-8-5).
Mark Scheifele scored twice for the Jets (13-8-2), and Brandon Tanev had their other goal.
Tanev got Winnipeg started at 7:01 of the first period with his fourth goal this season on a short-handed breakaway against Casey DeSmith, who made 24 saves.
Crosby tied it at 18:13 with a slick backhand in close that fooled goalie Connor Hellebuyck. It was Crosby’s 10th of the season.
Scheifele put the Jets back in front 39 seconds into the second on a feed from captain Blake Wheeler. But that only lasted until Sheahan got credit for poking a loose puck over the line after Hellebuyck failed to corral it at 4:40.
Wheeler also set up Scheifele’s second goal of the night and 13th this season, which rocketed past DeSmith before he had much time to react at 16:00.
Grant tied it once more for the Penguins when he beat Hellebuyck between his legs. Kessel then set up Aston-Reese for his second of the season with a nice feed to the front of the net.
NOTES
DeSmith has been thrust into the starter’s job for the Penguins with Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Matt Murray sidelined by a lower-body injury after time off due to a concussion earlier this season. ... Hellebuyck finished with 26 saves.
Sabres 3, Sharks 2, OT
BUFFALO, N.Y.
The Buffalo Sabres had to go to overtime after squandering a two-goal third-period lead, but they still made it a perfect 10.
Jeff Skinner scored his team-leading 19th goal 1:19 into overtime, and the Sabres won their 10th straight by beating the San Jose Sharks.
Rasmus Ristolainen scored off a deke around Brent Burns, and Nathan Beaulieu also scored for Buffalo, which hasn’t lost since Nov. 4.
The streak matches the longest in Sabres history and is the NHL’s best run since the Columbus Blue Jackets won 16 in a row from Nov. 29, 2016, to Jan. 3, 2017. Buffalo won 10 straight twice before, and most recently by going 10-0 to open the 2006-07 season.
Carter Hutton stopped the first 32 shots he faced and 36 overall to extend his personal-best winning streak to eight, during which he’s allowed just 15 goals.
Joe Pavelski scored twice for the Sharks in the final 81/2 minutes to up his team-leading total to 15.
Martin Jones stopped 28 shots and had little chance on any of the three goals.
The decisive goal came after Jones poked the puck away from Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who was driving to the net. Skinner followed by beating Evander Kane to the loose puck and scored.
The Sharks, coming off a 6-0 loss at Vegas on Saturday, earned a point to move into a tie with idle Calgary for Pacific Division lead.
Pavelski forced overtime by scoring a power-play goal with 3:18 left, when he came out from behind the net to wrap a shot just inside the left post. He cut Buffalo’s lead to 2-1 some five minutes earlier by one-timing in Burns’ pass from the right point.