Hurricanes strive to bolster lead over Penguins in Metropolitan

The Carolina Hurricanes have won three of their last four games heading into Sunday afternoon's Metropolitan Division contest against the host Pittsburgh Penguins.

The past two wins have come in overtime, with the most recent a 4-3 road victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin scored 41 seconds into the extra session to lift the Hurricanes (44-19-6, 94 points) over the Maple Leafs.

"‘Nikky' has been great," Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. "As a rookie defenseman, it's not easy.