Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan did not like his team’s effort

GLENDALE Patrik Laine Jersey , Ariz. (AP) —in a loss to San Jose earlier this week. A parade to the penalty box in the first period did not lift his mood.A dominating second period and a big goal from Phil Kessel had Sullivan feeling a lot better.Kessel scored on a power play at 4:09 of overtime, Matt Murray stopped 30 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on Friday night.“I thought the guys did a pretty good job of keeping their focus,” Sullivan said. “We had a real strong second period.”Outscored 10-4 in consecutive losses, Pittsburgh fell behind on Clayton Keller’s first-period goal following a flurry of penalties.The Penguins rallied in the second when Jusso Riikola and Jake Guentzel scored 40 seconds apart, but Derek Stepan scored with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third to tie it.Pittsburgh had a 4 on 3 in overtime when Richard Panik was called for slashing and Kessel cashed in, redirecting Sidney Crosby’s shot from the point past Darcy Kuemper.“It started off a little tough, going to the box as much as we were,” Crosby said. “But we got some good kills, got right back at it in the second period and it’s good to get two points.Arizona had won four of its previous five games and Kuemper was on a four-game winning streak, one short of his career high.The Coyotes withstood the two quick goals in the second period and rallied in the third, but gave Pittsburgh’s dangerous power play one too many chance.Kuemper stopped 32 shots, including a nifty glove save on Guentzel late in overtime.“We scratched and clawed again Vladimir Sobotka Jersey Womens ,” said Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, a former Penguins assistant. “Those guys have some world-class players over there. We played a good game and had a chance to win the game”Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Sharks on Tuesday, Pittsburgh had four penalties in the opening 20 minutes against the Coyotes, including two on the same shift. The Coyotes didn’t score on the 5-on-3, but Keller did shortly after it ended, one-timing a pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson to beat Murray stick side on a 4 on 3.Keller became the fastest player to 100 career points with his goal, doing it in 132 games.“It’s a cool accomplishment, but I’m more focused on our team,” he said. “We’re playing good hockey right now.”The Penguins had a big push at the end of the first period and quickly took the lead on goals 40 seconds apart.Riikola had the first one on a power play, firing a shot from just inside the blue line that Kuemper couldn’t see through traffic. Guentzel put Pittsburgh ahead on a rebound of his own shot, lifting it over Kuemper from a tough angle.Arizona appeared to tie it early in the third period when Panik poked a loose puck past a prone Murray. The Penguins challenged the play and the officials called Ekman-Larsson for goalie interference after clipping Murray with his skate.Stepan converted in the third period, gathering a rebound from just outside the crease and flicking it past Murray.NOTES: Penguins RW Patric Hornqvist participated in a portion of practice on Thursday Aaron Ekblad Jersey , but missed his fourth straight game with a concussion. … Max Domi had been the fastest Arizona player to reach 100 points, doing it in 154 games. … Pittsburgh F Joseph Blandisi had three shots on goal in 21 minutes after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for Derek Grant on Thursday.UP NEXTPittsburgh plays at Vegas Saturday night.Arizona starts a six-game road trip at Toronto on Sunday. WASHINGTON (AP) The sight of Evgeny Kuznetsov clutching his left arm and leaving the ice after a hit from Brayden McNabb isn’t as big a threat to the Washington Capitals‘ title hopes as it might seem.Not after the Capitals withstood three games without Nicklas Backstrom. Not after they missed Kuznetsov for most of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and still beat the Vegas Golden Knights to tie the series.They’d love to have their leading scorer in the lineup Saturday night in Washington, but with superstar captain Alex Ovechkin and several top players producing and filling the void, the Capitals are built to handle life without Kuznetsov if it comes to that.”We’ve had some guys been out here and there these playoffs,” Backstrom said. ”It’s hard to replace Kuznetsov the way he’s been playing, but if that’s the case it is what it is and we just have to have other guys step up.”Coach Barry Trotz provided no update on Kuznetsov on Thursday other than to say the Russian center is day to day. The team practices again Friday.It didn’t look very good for Kuznetsov when he went down the tunnel in the first period Wednesday night and didn’t return. But Ovechkin scored his first career Stanley Cup Final goal on the power play, and Lars Eller, bumped up the lineup to fill in for Kuznetsov, had a goal and two assists.No one player can make up for the potential loss of Kuznetsov, who has 11 goals and 14 assists in 21 playoff games, though Washington’s depth down the middle looks solid with Backstrom, Eller http://www.floridapanthersteamshops.com/authentic-aleksander-barkov-jersey , Jay Beagle and, if need be, Chandler Stephenson. Eller played a key role in two big victories against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference final without Backstrom, and will once again be one of the most important players on the ice if Kuznetsov isn’t healthy.”Nick has gone out or Kuzy has been out, Lars has elevated his game and comes up in a more prominent role,” Trotz said. ”I think he embraces the challenge. He takes the moments very seriously that he has to step up and try to find a way to produce, and he has. He’s a veteran player who has good hockey sense, and he’s strong on the puck, and I think his game translates well in the playoffs.”It doesn’t hurt that the Capitals can lean on Ovechkin in times of need, and they have received strong performances from top-six wingers Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie and Jakub Vrana and defenseman John Carlson.It’s the kind of production Vegas is looking for from its top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Going on the road means coach Gerard Gallant can’t pick matchups Evgenii Dadonov Jersey Kids , so he’s counting on his best players to play like it.”I don’t care who they play against,” Gallant said. ”We’re going to play well and work hard and compete hard. (Wednesday) night they didn’t have the offensive outburst they usually have. You’re not going to be at your best every night. I expect them to be really good for us like they have all season long.”Gallant tipped his hat to the Capitals, saying they deserved to win Game 2 based on how they performed after losing Kuznetsov.