Blues 3 - 2 Penguins
Final - OT
  for this game

Pietrangelo's OT winner lifts Blues past Pens

Nov 24, 2011 - 4:47 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Alex Pietrangelo scored with 52.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the St. Louis Blues over the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2.

Vladimir Sobotka, positioned along the left boards, slid a pass to the front of the net with time winding down in overtime. Pietrangelo gathered the disc and went forehand to backhand before flipping the puck into the net.

Scott Nichol and Jamie Langenbrunner also lit the lamp for the Blues, who snapped a two-game skid. Brian Elliott made 31 saves to improve to 8-1-0 on the year.

St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said it would have been disappointing not to get two points considering how hard he felt his team played.

"We're on a second game in two nights and they've got energy and they're coming at us and we're going at them. And then we took it out of a track meet for two periods and then put it in the track meet in the third," he said.

Steve Sullivan and James Neal scored for the Penguins, who have lost three of four. Sidney Crosby had two shots in his second game back from concussion- related symptoms and wasn't happy with how he played.

"I had a couple chances and bobbled one and missed a pass," said Crosby. "Whether it's rust, or whatever it was, that's not good."

Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 40-of-43 shots.

The Blues got on the board 5:33 into the game when Nichol stole the puck in the Pittsburgh zone and fired a slapper from the high slot.

St. Louis had a goal waved off with 8:36 left in the middle stanza because David Backes used his skate to kick the puck in.

Sullivan's power-play goal at the 3:03 mark of the third made it a 1-1 game. Evgeni Malkin slid a pass to the top of the right circle for Sullivan, whose one-timer beat Elliott.

The Blues went back in front at the 10:45 mark after Langenbrunner gathered a loose puck at the side of the net and beat Fleury with a wrister.

Neal kept the back-and-forth battle going with 5:51 to play in regulation. Malkin carried the puck around the net before passing to Neal, whose shot from the left circle beat Elliott.

Game Notes

The Blues notched a 1-0 overtime win over the visiting Penguins in the only meeting between the clubs last year...Crosby played nearly 19 minutes...Elliot improved to 4-1-0 in six career games against Pittsburgh.






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