Justin Schultz took a pass from Phil Kessel and buried it in the wide-open net 2:36 into overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Tristan Jarry made several key stops for the Penguins early in the extra period, and Schultz’s fourth goal of the season helped Pittsburgh improve to 10-1 in overtime at home this season.
Evgeni Malkin scored his 37th goal for the Penguins and added an assist. Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel also scored for Pittsburgh. Jarry finished with 35 saves as the Penguins pulled within one point of Washington for first in the crowded Metropolitan Division.
Mark Giordano, Mikael Backlund and Troy Brouwer scored for the Flames, who outplayed the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions for long stretches before dropping their fourth straight. Jon Gillies stopped 28 shots but had no chance when Kessel slid a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Schultz.
The Penguins had dropped five straight to the Flames, including a 2-1 overtime loss in Calgary in November.
The Flames, in the middle of their own fight to stay in the Western Conference playoff mix, responded immediately.