Crosby scores 599th goal, Penguins defeat Sharks in shootout to end slide
Toffoli gets 2 for San Jose, which rallies from down 3 to force OT
SJS@PIT: Crosby blasts the slap shot through traffic to extend the Penguins lead in the 2nd
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby scored his 599th NHL goal, and the Pittsburgh Penguins recovered from blowing a three-goal lead to defeat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in the shootout at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.
Bryan Rust and Jesse Puljujarvi also scored for the Penguins (7-10-3), who were outscored 16-5 in three straight losses (0-2-1) including 6-2 at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves.
Tyler Toffoli scored twice, and Mikael Granlund also scored for the Sharks (5-10-4), who have lost three in a row (0-1-2). Vitek Vanecek missed the final two periods for an undisclosed reason after allowing two goals on 10 shots in the first. Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves in relief.
Evgeni Malkin scored the deciding goal in the fifth round of the shootout for Pittsburgh; Crosby converted in the second and Anthony Beauvillier scored in the fourth.
Granlund and William Eklund scored for San Jose, but Nedeljkovic turned away Alexander Wennberg in the fifth.
Rust put Pittsburgh ahead 1-0 on the first shot on goal of the game at 1:01 of the first period, taking a pass from Michael Bunting behind the net before for a backhanded wraparound at the right post.
Malkin seemed to extend the lead at 5:46 with a backhand from the right face-off circle, but the goal was overturned when Bunting was ruled offside on a San Jose challenge.
Puljujarvi then made it 2-0 at 6:34, reaching back to collect a rebound off a shot from Drew O’Connor for a wrist shot low in the left circle. Defenseman Owen Pickering, making his NHL debut, got a secondary assist for his first point.
Crosby extended the lead to 3-0 with his seventh goal of the season at 4:19 of the second period, ending a five-game goal drought on a slap shot through traffic from the right point.
Toffoli cut it to 3-1 on the power play at 12:05. Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Shea intercepted a pass from Macklin Celebrini but tapped it to Will Smith, who found Toffoli for a backhand at an open right side of the net.
Granlund pulled San Jose within 3-2 at 6:56 of the third period on a snap shot just outside the crease off a cross-ice pass from Fabian Zetterlund that was tipped by Beauvillier.
Toffoli tied it 3-3 at 11:40 with his second of the game, scoring on a wrist shot from the left circle off a pass from Ty Dellandrea.