PITTSBURGH -- Evgeni Malkin's hat trick fueled a Pittsburgh Penguins comeback that led to a 5-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Consol Energy Center on Saturday.
After Bo Horvat gave the Canucks a 3-1 lead with his ninth goal of the season 6:00 into the third period, Malkin scored two quick goals to tie the game.
Malkin fought his way behind the net, forcing goalie Ryan Miller to leave the crease, then sent the puck in front where Canucks forward Linden Vey tipped it into his own net. Malkin's second goal 7:16 into the third made it a 3-2 game.
He completed the hat trick 3:06 later when he sent a wrist shot past Miller's glove to tie the score.
With the Penguins trailing 2-0 after the first period for the second time in as many games, Malkin's first goal cut the Canucks' lead in half six seconds after Alexandre Burrows was called for hooking, giving Pittsburgh a 5-on-3 for 1:08. Malkin one-timed a slap shot at the top of the right circle, with Sidney Crosby jumping out of the way, past Miller to cut the deficit to 2-1 3:54 into the second period.
Malkin leads the Penguins with 23 goals and 47 points. He has scored 20 points and nine goals in his past 16 games.
Forward Bryan Rust capped the comeback with his second goal of the season to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead with 7:00 remaining, then Crosby scored into an empty net to push the lead to two goals with 1:23 remaining.
Jannik Hansen completed a hat trick of his own to pull the Canucks to within one goal with 16.8 seconds remaining.
Pittsburgh (23-17-7) moved into a three-way tie with the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils for the Eastern Conference's two wild cards into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and the Devils play at the Winnipeg Jets. The Penguins have earned a point in six of their past seven games and in 10 of their past 12.
Vancouver (20-18-11), whose players partially walked to the arena after its bus was unable to drive up a hill because of inclement weather, has lost two of its past three games after winning three of its previous four.
Hansen opened the scoring 27 seconds into the game after Alexander Edler tipped the puck up the boards. Hansen carried it through the neutral zone and blew by Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta before sending a wrist shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's blocker.
With Daniel Sedin in the penalty box for hooking, Hansen passed over a sliding Letang to Dorsett on a shorthanded 2-on-1. Dorsett's shot hit the crossbar before Hansen backhanded a shot past a scrambling Fleury to take a 2-0 lead with 3:25 remaining in the first.
Penguins forward Chris Kunitz did not play because of a lower-body injury he sustained against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
The Canucks host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday in their final game before the All-Star break. The Penguins, who had their Sunday game at the Washington Capitals postponed because of snow, aren't scheduled to play again until Tuesday at home against the Devils.
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