It was the first regulation loss for Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray since a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 5. Murray made 27 saves and is 7-1-1 this season.
Evegni Malkin scored on the power play at 11:52 of the first period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Malkin has eight points (three goals, five assists) in the past six games.
Daniel Winnik tied it 1-1 at 13:36, scoring off a rebound from a shot by Matt Cullen, who played his former team for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup twice with them (2016, 2017). Cullen, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Minnesota on Aug. 16, got his second point of the season with the assist.
The Penguins (7-4-1) played the first of a five-game road trip; they are at the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
"It was a tight game," Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. "I think it could have gone either way. We missed a couple chances, but we have to turn the page and focus on a back-to-back game. This year we're not successful on those, so I think we have to find a way to play a hard road game to get the result."