RALEIGH — When the Metropolitan Division’s top two teams play in Raleigh, the Hurricanes are going to find a way to beat the Penguins.
Carolina defenseman K’Andre Miller forced overtime with 2:51 left in regulation and Sean Walker scored in overtime to give the Hurricanes a 6-5 win Wednesday for their 10th straight victory over the visiting Penguins at Lenovo Center.
“We’re a resilient group,” Walker said, “and we got the win tonight.”
Walker’s one-timer from the left circle with 29 seconds left in overtime beat Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner (38 saves) for his seventh goal of the year.
“(I) tried to set a little pick, and then, honestly, I kind of blacked out,” Walker said. “(I) opened up and (Sebastian Aho) made a nice pass, and I figured it was a good time to shoot. Glad it went in.”
Carolina entered the third period up 2-1, but seven goals later the teams were headed to overtime for the fourth time in their last five meetings in Raleigh.
The Penguins had looked like they would finally snap their drought in Raleigh when they scored twice in 23 seconds late in the third period to turn a one-goal deficit into a 5-4 lead.
Pittsburgh defenseman Erik Karlsson’s second goal of the night at 14:46 of the third period marked the fourth time the Penguins had tied the score, and Ben Kindel’s 17th goal of the year on the following shift gave the visitors their first lead of the night.
“They score two, and you’re sitting on the bench thinking, ‘What just happened?’” said Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook, who scored his 10th goal of the season shorthanded in the first period.
Martinook also provided the net-front traffic as the Hurricanes took a turn erasing a deficit.
Miller’s shot toward a crowded crease deflected past Skinner with just under three minutes left in regulation, sending the teams to overtime for the second time in eight days.
“Give the guys credit,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of his team responding to Pittsburgh’s two quick goals. “We just kept playing. It didn’t really affect us one bit, and it really could have easily.”
Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen (30 saves) made three stops in overtime, and Aho held onto the puck and earned his 700th career point on the pass to Walker, who blasted in his seventh of the year. It marked Walker’s first game-winning goal in his 150th game since joining the Hurricanes.
“I think our team showed a lot of resiliency tonight,” Walker said. “Up, down, whatever it was, we played the same way — hard.”
The Hurricanes’ win spoiled the return of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who hadn’t played since being hurt playing for Team Canada in the Olympics. Crosby didn’t look rusty, scoring near the midway point of regulation to tie the game at 1-1 and assisting on Karlsson’s second goal in the third.
The Hurricanes got key performances of their own. The line of Logan Stankoven centering Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake totaled seven points as all three scored. Blake — who got his 20th goal of the season — finished with three points for the second time this season.
“I love playing with those guys because you know what you can get from them,” Blake said of playing with Hall and Stankoven. “It’s awesome. We’ve had chances, but tonight, fortunately, they went in.”
Nikolai Ehlers had three assists — including picking his final one up on a one-man zone entry before the Miller goal — for this sixth three-point game of the season, tying him with Andrei Svechnikov for the team lead.
“He’s kind of trying to go through everyone, but that’s what needs to happen at that time of the game,” Brind’Amour said of Ehlers on Miller’s tying goal.
The win not only extended Carolina’s home winning streak against the Penguins but also grew its cushion atop the Metro to eight points with 14 games remaining in the regular season.
Notes: Forwards Nicolas Deslauriers and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were healthy scratches for Carolina, and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere missed his sixth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. … Andersen has won four straight starts. … Walker had seven shots on goal, one short of his career high. … Svechnikov was minus 3.
