Penguins 5, Sabres 4 (SO)
PITTSBURGH -- Kris Letang and Phil Kessel converted Pittsburgh's only two shots of the shootout and the Penguins came back from a three-goal deficit in the first period to beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Letang, the Penguins' never-leave-the-ice defenseman, converted by going five-hole against goalie Chad Johnson (42 saves) after playing a career-high 35 minutes, 14 seconds.
Tom Kuhnhackl and Nick Bonino scored short-handed 24 seconds apart late in the second period, finishing off a four-goal comeback that carried the Penguins from a 3-0 deficit after the first to a 4-3 lead after the second.
But the Sabres came back themselves with their third special teams goal-- they also scored 4-on-4 -- as Zach Bogosian scored his seventh on a power play 2:13 into the third.
The Penguins, closing in on a 10th consecutive playoff appearance, won their ninth in 11 games and ninth in a row against Buffalo. Pittsburgh also closed to within a point of the second-place New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins trailed 3-0 -- the first time in three seasons they faced that deficit after just one period at Consol Energy Center -- before defenseman Ben Lovejoy (fourth of the season) and rookie Conor Sheary (sixth) started their comeback by scoring about 4 1/2 minutes apart early in the second.
But the game swung when Kuhnhackl, who assisted on the Lovejoy goal, and Bonino each scored with the Penguins killing off Eric Fehr's tripping penalty late in the period.
Matt Cullen faked a shot from the left circle, only to deftly steer the puck to an undefended Kuhnhackl in front as the Penguins worked a 2-on-1 rush while down a man to tie it at 3 at 18:47.
The Penguins improbably seized the lead with their fourth straight goal by taking advantage of a bad giveaway by Johnson. With Johnson attempting to routinely clear the puck from behind the net, Carl Hagelin swiped it off his stick and fed it to a wide-open Bonino for his seventh of the season, at 19:11.
The Sabres seized their early lead as Matt Moulson and Ryan O'Reilly each ended long streaks without a goal and Jake McCabe scored with the teams skating 4-on-4.
Moulson scored his first goal in 19 games and sixth overall, at 9:26 with the Sabres on a power play. The Sabres special teams then scored again -- this time short-handed -- when O'Reilly ended a 25-game streak without a goal with his 18th about five minutes later.
O'Reilly alertly knocked the puck into the net as it lay along the goal line following David Legwand's shot from the point. McCabe scored off O'Reilly's pass set up by rookie Jack Eichel's faceoff win.
Penguins goalie Matt Murray made 26 saves as well as two in the shootout in the win.
NOTES: Penguins C Sidney Crosby's overtime goal on Sunday against the Rangers was his eighth. Only three Penguins players have had more: Mario Lemieux (11) and Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin (9 each). ... Sabres LW Evander Kane (upper-body injury) did not play after being hurt in the third period of a 3-2 loss in Detroit. ... Penguins D Brian Dumoulin (upper-body injury) sat out a second successive game. With Dumoulin and Olli Maatta (lower-body injury) both out, D Trevor Daley is teaming with Kris Letang on the top defensive pairing. ... Penguins coach Mike Sullivan switched power-play personnel during the morning skate, with Crosby, RW Patric Hornqvist and RW Beau Bennett joining Letang and D Justin Schultz on the top unit. ... Penguins G Matt Murray made his first start since beating the Hurricanes 4-2 on March 17. ... Pittsburgh signed college free agent D Ethan Prow to a two-year, entry-level contract. ... The Sabres scratched Kane, D Carlo Colaiacovo, D Cody Franson, G Jason Kasdorf and G Robin Lehner. The Penguins held out G Jeff Zatkoff, Dumoulin and Maatta.