Erik Karlsson scored the go-ahead goal in the final minute of the second period as the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday.
With the score knotted at 2, off a faceoff, Karlsson shot a one-timer from the right point off a pass from Kris Letang. It went past goaltender Joseph Woll’s glove, with Noel Acciari setting a screen on the play to help make it 3-2 with 27.9 seconds left in the second.
Jake Guentzel and Acciari also scored for the Penguins, who had lost four of their past five games.
Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry made 31 saves.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Matthew Knies scored for the Maple Leafs, who twice had a one-goal lead. Toronto’s point streak was snapped at five games (4-0-1).
Woll made 32 saves.
Toronto’s Auston Matthews was held without a point in his 500th career game.
Both teams were playing on back-to-back nights.
Bertuzzi opened the scoring at 3:59 of the first, his fifth point in as many games. Off a short rebound, he tapped the puck in at the right post for a 1-0 Maple Leafs lead.
Pittsburgh tied it 28 seconds later. Sidney Crosby carried the puck across the blue line at the right point and fed Drew O’Connor in the slot. O’Connor set up Guentzel at the right post. Guentzel settled the puck and batted it in to make it 1-1.
Toronto regained the lead at 7:48 of the first. Off a four-on-two, Knies got a rebound and scored from the low slot for a 2-1 advantage.
The Penguins again tied it at 10:01 of the second. Acciari intercepted a pass behind the Maple Leafs’ net, moved out to just below the left circle and roofed a shot over Woll’s near shoulder to tie the score at 2-2.
A night earlier, the Penguins blew a two-goal lead and lost by giving up three unanswered third-period goals at Buffalo. However, on Saturday, they held off a hard-charging Maple Leafs team in the third.
–Field Level Media
