Zacha Notches Second Career Hat Trick But Bruins Fall in OT to Penguins

PITTSBURGH -- Tommy Novak scored 17 seconds into overtime, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from down three goals to win 5-4 against the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.

Novak won it with a one-timer from the slot. Egor Chinakhov drove to the net to have the puck knocked off his stick before gloving it out of midair and chipping a pass to Novak.

Anthony Mantha scored two tying goals in the third period, Chinakhov had a goal and an assist, and Erik Karlsson had three assists for the Penguins (32-17-14), who had lost three in a row (0-2-1), including 4-3 in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Arturs Silovs made 24 saves. 

Pavel Zacha had his second NHL hat trick, David Pastrnak ended an eight-game goal drought, and Viktor Arvidsson and Jonathan Aspirot each had two assists for the Bruins (35-22-6), who are 0-3-4 on the road since a 5-2 win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 17. Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves. 

“Two-goal lead going into the third and playing really, overall, solid defense,” Boston coach Marco Sturm. “Then, you just give it up in the third period. Of course, not happy about that. But at the end of the day, it’s a good point for us. Something we have to learn [from] and move forward.” 

Chinakhov cut it to 3-1 on a 5-on-3 power play at 14:44 of the second period with a wrist shot from high in the left circle.

Connor Dewar and Mantha scored 33 seconds apart early in the third period for the Penguins. 

Dewar spun off Aspirot in the left circle for a backhand, cutting it to 3-2 at 6:02; Mantha scored on with a backhand on a semi-breakaway to tie it 3-3 at 6:35. 

Zacha put the Bruins back in front 4-3 at 8:34 with a wrist shot off a pass from Arvidsson behind the net. He scored three goals in a 10-2 win against the New York Rangers on Jan. 10 for his previous hat trick. 

“I think it was a good feeling in the moment,” Zacha said. “I think after a loss, you don’t really think about it anymore. We were leading most of the game, so it was a good feeling. I was able to score the third goal, but right after the game, it kind of goes away if you don’t win.” 

Mantha tied it 4-4 at 11:18 by knocking down a point shot from Parker Wotherspoon and chipping it in from the crease for his 23rd goal this season. 

Zacha put Boston ahead 1-0 on a power play at 9:27 of the first period, dropping to one knee in the right face-off circle for a one-timer. 

He made it 2-0 at 8:47 of the second period, stickhandling around Pittsburgh forward Ben Kindel before lifting a backhand over Silovs.

Pastrnak extended the lead to 3-0 at 12:23. Silovs retrieved the puck along the end boards and attempted a pass to Wotherspoon that Pastrnak intercepted to wrap a backhand around the right post and off Silovs into the vacated net. 

The Penguins went on to score five of the final six goals. 

“We just should’ve played a little better,” Pastrnak said. “We were able to get another lead and, unfortunately, made too many mistakes. Cost us a point, those mistakes.”