PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jake Eichel shot past Casey DeSmith 45 seconds into overtime while the Buffalo Sabers rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on Monday night.

The Sabers have won their sixth consecutive game by overcoming a deficit of three goals. Casey Mittelstadt equalized with a little over 9 minutes to go in regulation and Eichel won with a shot from the right circle that found his way through DeSmith.

Tage Thompson, Zach Bogosian and Casey Nelson also scored for Buffalo, who has won six straight for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Carter Hutton resisted an early Pittsburgh wave and made 36 saves.

Tanner Pearson had a goal and a helping hand for the Penguins, his first points with Pittsburgh since his acquisition in an exchange with Los Angeles last week. Phil Kessel took his 10th place in the Penguins and Jake Guentzel and Derick Brassard also scored.

DeSmith made 35 saves but spent most of the last 30 minutes under heavy Sabers. Pittsburgh have only won once in their last 10 games.

The Penguins rose on Monday tied with Florida for last place in the Eastern Conference thanks to the extended funk of the franchise since Sidney Crosby 's rookie season in 2005-06. Crosby missed his third consecutive game because of an undisclosed injury to the upper body, but warned that it was way too early for Pittsburgh to panic.

And for the first 30 minutes, the Penguins did what they did in Buffalo so regularly during Crosby's tenure: they dominated.

Brassard gave the advantage to Pittsburgh by 8:46 in first base when he beat Hutton from baton on a 2-in-1 for his second goal of the season. The Sabers tied it less than three minutes later in a sequence that seemed to sum up the bumpy start to Pittsburgh. Dominik Simon stumbled while he was trying to clear the puck near the blue line, allowing Buffalo to keep it inside. Sam Reinhart sent a cross pass to Thompson, who took a decisive pass to beat DeSmith cleanly.

Pittsburgh reacted when Kessel scored a nice Pearson lead, with 3:45 left in the first. Guentzel scored his own rebound at 1:24 of the second second and Pearson scored his first goal in 32 games while the Penguins advanced to 4-1.

However, nothing was easy for Pittsburgh in the first quarter of the season and the improved Sabers continued to crumble.

Eichel forced a reversal behind the Pittsburgh net that began a sequence that ended with Bogosian ripping a DeSmith one-timer from the right circle. Nelson moved Buffalo closer in goal with 84 seconds left in the second when Nelson shot a powerful shot for Pittsburgh defenseman Jack Johnson.

The Sabers continued to push, and when Mittelstadt beat DeSmith to draw even after the midpoint of the third half, Buffalo had all the momentum.

NOTES: Both teams went 0 for 3 on the power play. … The Penguins placed C Matten Cullen on the injured list on Monday with a lower-body injury. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said Cullen was absent "in the longer term". Pittsburgh D Kris Letang became the second defender in the team's history to play 700 games, joining Brooks Orpik (703). … The Penguins brought Craig Patrick, a member of the Hall of Fame, to become a professional scout. Patrick spent 17 years as General Manager of Pittsburgh from 1989 to 2006, helping the franchise to win consecutive Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. … Buffalo F Jason Pominville played his 681st game with the Sabers, giving Rick Martin the ninth record of the number of franchises. l & # 39; history.

FOLLOWING

Sabers: Welcome Philadelphia Wednesday night.

Penguins: Welcome Dallas Wednesday night.

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