Ville Koivunen's overtime winner caps a late comeback and lifts Penguins over Predators

King Jemison, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 24, 2026

Published in Hockey

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins played another solid game Saturday night. But for 59 minutes, they kept running into something even more solid: Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros.

The Nashville netminder stopped chance after chance, and it appeared he would deny the Penguins a point on a night in which they played well despite being down several top players.

But after Saros stopped Rakell on multiple breakaways, Rakell finally snuck one through on a one-timer with 66 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

And Ville Koivunen ended it there with a rifle shot to give the Penguins a 3-2 overtime win at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins controlled the action early in the game, creating several great looks. But Saros had the answers.

He stopped Rakell on a breakaway, as Rakell’s snakebitten start to the season continued. Saros then denied Nick Robertson on a wraparound backhand and dove to freeze the puck in front of the crease before Elmer Soderblom could get off a shot.

The Predators capitalized on the momentum their goalie gave them for the game’s opening score just over nine minutes in.

Matthew Wood slipped a loose puck past Declan Carlile and found Steven Stamkos, who’d gotten inside of Kris Letang. Stamkos tipped it in for a 1-0 Nashville lead.

On a Penguins power play near the end of the period, former Predator Tommy Novak had a look just in front of the net. Saros swallowed it up to preserve the lead entering the first intermission.

After a period of missed opportunities, Connor Dewar pounced on the Penguins’ first chance of the middle frame. Soderblom intercepted a pass on the forecheck and found Dewar, who snapped in his second of the season 18 seconds in to tie the game.

The Penguins took over from there. The surprise second line of Koivunen, Hendrix Lapierre and Avery Hayes — making his season debut Saturday — was particularly active. But Saros made several tough stops to keep the score knotted.

And again the Predators rewarded their goaltender’s efforts. Off a defensive zone faceoff, former Predator Spencer Stastney passed the puck behind the net. No one was home, at least not in black and gold. Nils Hoglander accepted the gift and found Jayden Struble open in the circle. He went bar down to restore the Nashville lead.

Arturs Silovs kept the advantage from doubling moments later, snagging a 2-on-1 look for Ryan O’Reilly. There wasn’t a ton Silovs could do about the first two goals, and he made some solid saves as Nashville created good looks in the rare times they had the puck.

The Penguins, particularly Lapierre and Hayes, kept racking up shots. But Saros held strong.

Pittsburgh was extremely lucky not to be down 3-1 entering the second intermission when Erik Karlsson essentially gave up on a play as the seconds ticked down, and Jack Drury suddenly had an open look. Silovs stopped him, but Drury knocked in the rebound.

Yet the puck crossed the line a tenth of a second too late, and the Penguins were down just one entering the final frame. They racked up 16 shots in the second period and led 25-17 in that department through 40 minutes.

Early in the third period, Rakell got another look and fired a heavy shot on net. Saros casually gobbled it up with his glove.

The game got chaotic in the third, and Silovs made some tough saves to hold the Predators’ lead to one.

Carlile managed to beat Saros, but not the crossbar.

The Penguins easily handled the Predators’ potent power play in their lone opportunity in the final frame. Rakell had a shorthanded breakaway that Saros turned aside.

But the Penguins winger came through when his team needed him most. Sidney Crosby found his longtime linemate open in the circle with 66 seconds remaining and Silovs out of his net. Rakell rocked home a one-timer to tie the score.

Around the boards

— With Egor Chinakhov out with a lower-body injury and Evgeni Malkin missing the game after he was sick Friday, the Penguins sent out a lineup Dan Muse probably never expected to use.

Novak remained on the top line with Rakell and Crosby. Hayes, Koivunen and Lapierre formed the second line.

Andrei Kuzmenko, Blake Lizotte and Rutger McGroarty were the third line for the second straight game. Soderblom, Dewar and Robertson comprised the fourth line again.

Up next

The Penguins have a long break before their next game Thursday at PPG Paints Arena against the Utah Mammoth.

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