Vasilevskiy, Lightning top Penguins in OT, extend streaks

PITTSBURGH -- Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves to extend his point streak to 19 games in a 2-1 overtime win for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.

"There's the quarterback in football. There's the goaltender in hockey," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It's a big part of the team. … There's no perfect defense, and you need somebody to bail you out when it's needed. Vasilevskiy has]*
Matt Murray made 36 saves, and Jason Zucker had five shots in 15:26 during his debut for Pittsburgh (34-15-6), which has lost two of its past three games. It acquired the forward in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Monday.
"I'm very excited for the opportunity to be on a special team like this," said Zucker, who arrived in Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm really looking forward to this opportunity moving forward. … I don't think I played very well. I thought my hands were terrible."

The Penguins are second in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Washington Capitals.
"We knew it was going to be a battle coming in," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought both teams had their moments. I thought we had a great third period. We hit a lot of posts. We had a chance to win."
Vasilevskiy is 17-0-2 during the longest point streak for a goalie in Tampa Bay history. He has not lost in regulation since Dec. 14, when he made 29 saves in a 5-2 loss to the Capitals.
"He's the best goalie in this league," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. "We're obviously super happy with [Vasilevskiy's] performance. Eighteen or 19 games straight where he's put up at least one point, so it's pretty remarkable."
Lightning forwards Nikita Kucherov (late second period) and Anthony Cirelli (late first period) each left the game with a lower-body injury. Kucherov collided with Pittsburgh defenseman Jack Johnson. He had an assist to extend his point streak to 12 games; he has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) during the streak.
Cooper did not provide an update on either player.
Evgeni Malkin put the Penguins ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal at 11:31 of the first period. A rebound off a slap shot from Sidney Crosby went to Malkin in the left face-off circle, where he scored on a wrist shot.

Mikhail Sergachev tied it 1-1 on the power play with a snap shot from the point through traffic at 3:59 of the second period.
Bryan Rust had a chance to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead at the end of a 2-on-1, but Vasilevskiy pushed to his right and clipped a snap shot with his blocker to send it off the crossbar at 6:17 of the second.
"[Vasilevskiy] saves our team," Sergachev said. "Sometimes, we're just like, 'Oh, it's a goal.' But there he is. Blocker, glove, chest, whatever. … He's a tough goalie to score on."

They said it

"As good as we felt, I'm pretty sure he felt much better. I actually didn't know the number was 35 [games] until after they said it after the game." -- Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Gourde ending his goal drought
"I think it's always a feeling-out process. New team, new system, new linemates. It's always an adjustment. So we'll continue to talk and try to generate things." -- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby on the debut of forward Jason Zucker

Need to know

Zucker played left wing on the first line with Crosby at center. … Lightning center Steven Stamkos missed a second straight game with a lower-body injury. He is day to day. … Penguins rookie defenseman John Marino did not play after having facial surgery Monday. He is expected to be out 3-6 weeks. … Kucherov's point streak is the longest active streak in the NHL and is tied for the longest of his NHL career. He had at least one point in 12 straight games from Dec. 6, 2018-Jan. 3, 2019. … Tampa Bay won on the road for a second straight night; it defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime Monday.

What's next

Lightning: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, SNW, NHL.TV)
Penguins:Host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ATTSN-PT, TSN2, RDS, NHL.TV)