NHL roundup: Crosby sets up tying goal, scores in OT as Penguins rally past Blue Jackets 5-4

By Canadian Press on January 4, 2026.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sidney Crosby set up Ricard Rakell’s tying goal with 13.7 seconds left in regulation, then scored at 2:22 of overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

The Penguins overcame a three-goal deficit to win their fifth straight game overall and third in a row in the road. Ville Koivunen, Noel Acciari and Tommy Novak also scored, and Ben Kindel had two assists. Arturs Silovs made 25 saves.

After being outshot 12-9 in the first period, Pittsburgh outshot Columbus 34-13 over the final two periods and overtime.

Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski each had a goal and an assist for Columbus, and Dmitri Voronkov and Mason Marchment also scored as the Blue Jackets raced to a 4-1 lead. Denton Mateychuk added two assists, and Jet Greaves stopped 43 shots.

Werenski made it 4-1 47 seconds into the second with a shot through traffic.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Sunday:

BLACKHAWKS 3 GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2 (OT)

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Bertuzzi scored at 1:18 of overtime for his second hat trick of the season and fifth in the NHL to give Chicago a victory over Vegas.

Arvid Soderblom made 13 saves to help Chicago win its third straight game and fourth in six games. The Blackhawks extended Vegas’ losing streak to six.

Ilya Mikheyv set up the winner with a pinpoint pass, and Bertuzzi directed it in past goalie Akira Schmid.

Bertuzzi’s second goal, from the right crease with 8:24 left tied it 2-2, and Vegas, which dominated early, could muster only two shots the rest of the way.

Mark Stone and Brandon Saad scored for Vegas. Stone had his fourth goal in four games to give Vegas a 2-1 lead 42 seconds into the second period.

CANADIENS 4 STARS 3 (OT)

DALLAS (AP) — Defenceman Lane Hutson scored with 1:20 left in overtime and Montreal beat Dallas.

It was the 13th career goal and first in OT for Hutson, last season’s Calder Trophy winner with six goals and 60 assists.

Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for the Canadiens, who went 4-1-2 playing seven consecutive road games, the last five following the NHL’s Christmas break. They split a back-to-back after losing 2-0 at St. Louis on Saturday.

Samuel Montembeault made 24 saves to record his second straight win since being recalled from the minors.

Wyatt Johnston had two goals and Quebec native Mavrik Bourque also scored for the Stars, who have lost five straight games for the first time this season (0-2-3). Jake Oettinger stopped 25 shots and has lost three straight starts (0-1-2) for the second time this season.

Montembeault, eighth in last season’s Vezina Trophy balloting, has allowed five goals in two games after being sent to the AHL in mid-December for a conditioning assignment.

Montreal’s Phillip Danault had two assists, including on Hutson’s winner.

The Canadiens are 7-2 in overtime this season, the Stars 1-5.

PANTHERS 2 AVALANCHE 1

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad scored unassisted goals, Daniil Tarasov made 27 saves and Florida snapped Colorado’s second 10-game winning streak of the season by topping the Avalanche.

Colorado fell to 31-3-7, its 69 points still the second-most in NHL history through 41 games and the most in nearly a century. Boston had 73 points through 41 games in 1929-30. The NHL added regular-season overtime along the way and changed the points structure in 1999-2000 to add a point for losses past regulation.

But the Panthers never trailed Sunday. Bennett scored 6:27 into the game, and Ekblad made it 2-1 with 1:48 left in the second period.

Artturi Lehkonen scored midway through the second period for Colorado, which lost captain Gabriel Landeskog early in that period with what the team said was an upper-body injury.

HURRICANES 3 DEVILS 1

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist against his former team, rookie Brandon Bussi stopped 28 shots and Carolina beat New Jersey.

Nikolaj Ehlers and Logan Stankoven also scored as first-place Carolina snapped a three-game losing streak. The 27-year-old Bussi, claimed off waivers from Florida on Oct. 5, improved to 14-2-1 on the season.

Dawson Mercer scored for the Devils, who snapped a two-game win streak. Jake Allen finished with 26 saves.

Hall tapped the puck off New Jersey defenceman Luke Hughes’ stick and past Allen to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead at 7:47 of the second period. It was his eighth goal of the season.

Stankoven added an insurance goal with 7:44 remaining in the third off a pass from Hall in the right corner.

The Associated Press

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