Erik Karlsson scores twice again as Penguins top Jets in shootout

After finding the net in regulation, Rickard Rakell scored the shootout clincher as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the visiting Winnipeg Jets 5-4 on Saturday afternoon.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson scored twice for the second straight game while Egor Chinakhov scored and provided a helper for Pittsburgh (35-18-16, 86 points). Parker Wotherspoon and Bryan Rust each had a pair of assists while netminder Arturs Silovs stopped 21 shots.

Brad Lambert had a goal and an assist for the Jets (28-29-12, 68 points), while Morgan Barron, Cole Koepke and Neal Pionk also scored. Connor Hellebuyck made 26 stops.

The Penguins opened the scoring just 1:06 into the first period when Chinakhov slipped into the slot and fired a shot to make it 1-0.

Pittsburgh doubled its lead 56 seconds later. Rust sent a backhand pass to the front of the net, where Rakell was waiting to give the Penguins a 2-0 advantage.

The Jets broke through at the 3:50 mark following a rebound that bounced off Barron's stick and went up and in as he crashed the net, cutting the lead to 2-1. The goal was confirmed upon review.

Winnipeg tied the game 2-2 with a short-handed goal at the 13:51 mark of the second when Koepke finished off a 2-on-1 opportunity.

With 4:28 remaining in the period, the Penguins restored their advantage when Karlsson finished off a sequence of passes to make it 3-2.

Winnipeg's Pionk tied the game 3-3 at the 4:04 mark of the third period, wiring a shot from the blue line in his first game since Jan. 13 due to injury.

After an earlier goal in the third was overturned due to a high stick, Winnipeg had to wait until there was 11:24 remaining to take its first lead as Lambert gave the Jets a 4-3 edge.

Karlsson got his second of the game to knot things up at 4-4 by beating Hellebuyck with a wrist shot with 7:15 left in regulation.

In the shootout, Sidney Crosby and Rakell scored to give the Penguins their third win in four games.