Hurricanes defeat Penguins in OT for 7th victory in row

PITTSBURGH -- Jaccob Slavin scored 23 seconds into overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes tied a franchise record 13-game point streak with their seventh straight win, 4-3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.

Slavin took a pass from Seth Jarvis before going backhand to forehand around Tristan Jarry. Brent Burns set up the play with an initial pass to Jarvis for the secondary assist and his 800th NHL point (231 goals, 569 assists) in 1,284 games.
"You know you're getting close, guys are just texting you," Burns said. "I think it's nicer that it was a big goal. To see [Slavin] put that in, you don't realize it at the time, but it was nice to get that one. … Try not to think about it. I don't know, it's nice. It's always nice to contribute. It doesn't matter what it is, it's nice if you're doing that and you're contributing."
Jordan Staal scored the tying goal late in the third period, and Antti Raanta made 24 saves for the Hurricanes (21-6-6), who are 11-0-2 in their past 13.
Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust scored, and Jarry made 32 saves for the Penguins (19-9-5), who had won eight of nine. They've lost by one goal three times against the Hurricanes, including 3-2 in overtime at home on Nov. 29 and 3-2 at Carolina on Sunday.
"It's a hard game against this team," said Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin, whose nine-game point streak ended (three goals, 10 assists). "We've played like three times and scored almost like even because they play hard. … We expect that. Just one mistake in overtime and they score. It's a little bit tough."

Rust gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 12:55 of the third period, driving to the crease around Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook and tucking a shot around the left pad of Raanta.
"We've got to learn to hold onto those leads," Rust said. "Obviously, we've done some really good things as of late. But there's always areas to clean up and get better. Tonight was a good example."
Staal tied it 3-3 at 15:34 with a wraparound under the stick of Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin. He has scored in three straight games.
"We've been resilient, for sure," Staal said. "Like I've said before, the depth on this team, for sure, is really shining through. I think a lot of guys have really stepped up and played great hockey and bigger minutes, and bigger roles. We've just kind of been staying with it and trusting our game."
Crosby put Pittsburgh in front 1-0 at 17:28 of the first period on a power play after deflecting a shot from Kris Letang. Rickard Rakell drew Raanta to slide right in the crease by swiping at the rebound, allowing Crosby to tap in the loose puck.
Martin Necas tied it 1-1 at 17:43, scoring on a wrist shot from near the left post after Calvin de Haan shot off the end boards, and Jalen Chatfield put Carolina ahead 17 seconds later at 18:00 with a slap shot from the point to make it 2-1. It was his first NHL goal in 67 games across three seasons.
"What a great group we've got," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "They just work so hard. They don't get flustered. ... They just kept going. They don't get down."

Brock McGinn tied it 2-2 with a short-handed goal at 19:15 of the second period, scoring on a wrist shot from the left circle off a rebound.
"I just think it's two good teams competing hard," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "There's a fine line between winning and losing. … I think we can be better in overtime. That's an important element."
NOTES: Pittsburgh forward Jeff Carter became the 10th active player to play 1,200 NHL games. He has 821 points (422 goals, 399 assists) over 18 seasons with the Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. … Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei did not play for personal reasons. … The goals scored by Necas and Chatfield 17 seconds apart were the fastest pair by Carolina this season; Burns and Martinook scored in 21 seconds against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 1. … Pittsburgh has scored at least one power-play goal in 10 consecutive games, its longest streak since scoring in 12 straight from Feb. 3-26, 2013. … Jarry is 11-0-3 in his past 14 games, trailing just Tom Barrasso (14-0-1 from March 9-April 14, 1993) for the longest run by a goalie in Penguins history.