RALEIGH, N.C. -- A crisp pace was something the Pittsburgh Penguins normally enjoy, and they got to feel good about it by the end because they won Friday night despite not playing their best.

Defenseman Kris Letang converted in a shootout to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

"I thought there was momentum on both sides," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "They had it at times and we had it at times. In the third period, they had a lot of zone time and we defended hard."

But there was plenty of energy on display from the Penguins in the scoreless overtime session before Letang came through during the shootout.

That ability to regroup from a shaky third period might have been what most defined the victory for Pittsburgh, even though it wasn't until a little later when the outcome was determined.

"I thought the third period (goalie Marc-Andre Fleury) made some pretty big saves and Carolina had the momentum," Sullivan said.

Right winger Phil Kessel opened the scoring with a second-period goal for Pittsburgh (28-19-7). Center Andrej Nestrasil's third-period goal forced overtime for Carolina (24-21-10).

Fleury made 29 stops. Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward had 25 saves, including four in overtime.

Fleury was on the winning side of a 5-0 decision against Carolina on Jan. 17 and was less than 5 1/2 minutes from his third shutout in the past month before Nestrasil scored.

"It was a little busy," Fleury said of the sometimes-brisk tempo.

Pittsburgh improved to 21-0-0 in games it has led after two periods, but this one took some extra work.

The Penguins, who won for the seventh time in their last nine games, began the night four points ahead of the Hurricanes in a tightly clustered middle of the Metropolitan Division standings.

Pittsburgh is 2-3 in shootouts. The Hurricanes fell to 0-3 in shootouts this season.

Letang was the final of six players to attempt a shot in the shootout. For Carolina, left winger Chris Terry and Phillip Di Giuseppe and center Elias Lindholm were off target, while center Sidney Crosby and left winger Chris Kunitz were denied for Pittsburgh.

"We had some pretty good chances there in overtime," Crosby said. "It wasn't our best game, but we found a way to win. ... That's the way it goes sometimes. You have to earn those bounces. It's good to be on the right side of it after a bit of a grind there."

The Carolina goal came when Nestrasil scored with a wrist shot from the right circle. It was his third goal in three games.

"We did a good job of sticking with our game in the third and finding a way to get a point," Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said.

Kessel's shot hit Ward's thigh and bounced into the net with 4:17 left in the second period. It marked Kessel's first goal in six games and 16th of the season, which ranks third on the team.

"He's dangerous," Sullivan said of Kessel. "He shoots the puck differently than most guys. It comes off his stick differently."

The Penguins controlled a large portion of overtime, but saves against left winger Carl Hagelin and Crosby, who collected the rebound, were among the highlights for Ward.

"Three-on-three can get interesting," Staal said. "One little mistake and you don't have much for backup. (Ward) played great the whole game."

NOTES: This was the first of a two-night celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup. Current Carolina players C Eric Staal and G Cam Ward were members of that 2006 team. Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford was GM and president of the Hurricanes during their Stanley Cup season. ... D Justin Faulk, the only Carolina player in the NHL All-Star Game, missed a game for the first time this season after he suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday's practice. ... The Penguins played without C Evgeni Malkin, who missed his fifth game in a row with a lower-body injury. ... The New York Islanders visit the Hurricanes on Saturday night. Pittsburgh's next game is Monday at Florida. ... The fathers of Penguins players, coaches and staff are on the two-game trip, marking the team's first father-related trip since November 2011.