Penguins 4, Senators 3, OT

 

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STOCKHOLM — Tyler Kennedy spoiled Daniel Alfredsson's homecoming.

Kennedy scored his second goal with 25 seconds left in overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in the first NHL regular-season opener in Sweden on Saturday night.

Alfredsson, Ottawa's captain who holds the Senators' career mark in games played (854), goals (331), assists (516) and points (847), was held pointless as he returned to his native Sweden for the first time with his NHL team.

Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, Alfredsson's linemates, each scored a goal for Ottawa.

Kennedy, who also scored 40 seconds into the first period in front of 13,699 at Stockholm's sold out Globe Arena, beat Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber with a wrister from the left circle.

The goal came after Spezza turned over the puck to Kennedy at the blue line. Kennedy skated in all alone and scored.

"I'm glad to get it off my back for one, and for the second I'm just excited to help the team win and get the season on a roll here," Kennedy said.

"He (Spezza) just kicked the puck up and I just tried to get the puck towards the net and shoot as hard as I can. I try to get as many pucks on the goal as I can, and tonight they went in."

Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves for the Penguins. Gerber stopped 26 shots for the Senators.

The teams will meet again on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, CBC, Team 1200).

Defenceman Rob Scuderi forced overtime when he beat Gerber with a wrister from the left circle at 3:56 in the third period.

Sidney Crosby, who finished the 2006-07 season as the first teenager in NHL history to win the scoring title, had the assist.

Evgeni Malkin made it 2-1 for Pittsburgh with a short-handed goal 3:18 into the second period. The Russian center stole the puck from Christoph Schubert in mid-ice, skated in all alone and swept a backhand past Gerber.

Heatley, unchecked between the circles, tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 12:15. Spezza gave Ottawa the lead for the first time with a short-handed goal at 17:55, beating Fleury with a wrister after a quick 3-on-2 breakaway.

Pittsburgh got off to a strong start when Gerber gave up a goal in the opening minute. Kennedy skated in from behind the net and wristed the puck from a tough angle past Gerber.

Shean Donovan tied it at 9:13 when he tipped in a shot by Dean McAmmond past Fleury. Defenceman Filip Kuba, who started the move by quickly skating into the offensive zone, also got an assist.

The teams last met in last season's playoffs when the Pittsburgh swept Ottawa in four games in the first round.