NHL: Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 2 (SO)

RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz scored shootout goals Wednesday and the Pittsburgh Penguins survived the loss of a third-period lead to defeat Carolina 3-2.

The Penguins won for the fifth time in six games and kept pace with the New York Rangers in the early part of the NHL season. Both teams have 12 points, tied for the most in the league, and they share first place in the Atlantic Division.

Mike Rupp gave Pittsburgh the lead with 5:36 to play in the first period and Evgeni Malkin scored his third goal of the season in the second. That gave the Penguins a 2-0 advantage going into the third but Ray Whitney broke up the shutout bid 4:25 into the stanza and then tied it with 9:56 to go.

Carolina also scored the first goal in the second round of what turned out to be a six-round shootout, but Marc-Andre Fleury was perfect the rest of the way. Crosby also came through in the second round and Kunitz won the game by finally getting the best of Cam Ward.

Fleury made 27 saves in regulation and Ward stopped 36 shots. It was the first time this season either team had been involved in an overtime game.