Gaudreau, Blue Jackets rally for OT win against Penguins

COLUMBUS -- Johnny Gaudreau scored on a breakaway 1:00 into overtime, and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

Columbus tied it 2-2 at 16:35 of the third period on the power play. Emil Bemstrom scored on a one-timer off a cross-seam pass by Mikael Pyyhtia, who was making his NHL debut. Stanislav Svozil, who also made his NHL debut, got the secondary assist.
Pyyhtia, a forward, and Svozil, a defenseman, were promoted from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, along with forward Tyler Angle and defenseman Samuel Knazko. Angle and Knazko also made their NHL debuts.
"It's not regular to get this many young guys, but I think it brings a different energy to the lineup," Pyyhtia said. "It never gets old playing in the NHL, but when it's brand new, you definitely have a little more excitement."

Andrew Peeke also scored, and Michael Hutchinson made 34 saves for the Blue Jackets (25-47-9), who ended a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) heading into their season finale against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Kris Letang had a goal and an assist, Sidney Crosby had two assists, and Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for the Penguins (40-31-11), who were outscored 8-4 in their final two games of the regular season.
Pittsburgh, which lost 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, was eliminated from wild card contention Wednesday when the New York Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. It is the first time it has not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2006.
"It's disappointing," Crosby said. "That's the motivation when you start training, start camp. That's what you're playing for. When you don't get the opportunity it's disappointing, but it's something you have to earn. We didn't do that."

Letang gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 4:28 of the first period on a power play when his shot from the point deflected in off Peeke.
Peeke tied it 1-1 at 2:12 of the second period, stepping into an offensive-zone face-off win by Hunter McKown at the right point.
"We found a way," Peeke said. "Took a little extra than 60 minutes but it's a big, big boost for our group, finding a way to win that game, being down in the third period and getting one back there at the end and winning it."

Jake Guentzel gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 3:53 of the third period, scoring from the top of the left circle on a power play.
"It's been a long time since this group has been in this type of a game," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I always believe there's something to play for. But obviously, when you're officially eliminated from the playoffs, it's a whole different experience. From that standpoint, it's a difficult one to even assess."
NOTES:Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin and Crosby each played 82 games this season. It is the third time in 17 NHL seasons Malkin has played a full season (2007-08 and 2008-09), and the second time in 18 NHL seasons (2017-18) for Crosby. … Crosby had 60 assists this season, reaching the mark for the seventh season and surpassing Jaromir Jagr for the second-most by a Penguins player. Only Mario Lemieux (nine) has more. … Columbus had 12 players in the lineup with fewer than 100 NHL career games, including six with fewer than 20. … Pittsburgh defenseman Marcus Pettersson had three hits in 23:19 of ice time after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. … Hutchinson won for the first time in seven starts (1-4-2).