PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Wow, after getting knocked around in the first period, the Pens would come back to tie it in a dominant third. It would stay 3-3 until 5:58 of the third overtime when Evgeni Malkin deflected a John Marino shot in for a 4-3 Pens win at Madison Square Garden.
It's just game one of the Pens-Rangers series.
Malkin built on his Pens franchise record with his 13th playoff game-winner as he parked in front of the net and angled the shot in.
Numbers
· Pens set a franchise record with 83 shots in one game
· Jake Guentzel scored a pair of goals and led forwards with 36:23 of ice time
· Bryan Rust had the other goal and led the Pens with nine shots
· Rust would finish with a game-high three points
· Kris Letang played 46:41
· Sidney Crosby's second assist moved him past Jaromir Jagr and now tied with Sergei Federov with 124 career playoff assists, 8th all-time.
· Longest NHL game ever at Madison Square Garden
Goalies
Casey DeSmith started the game, but had to leave in the second overtime with a lower-body injury. That meant Louis Dominigue would have to come in cold and play in his third ever Pens game. Due to the shorter benches at MSG, Dominigue had to sit by himself by where the Zamboni enters the ice. So not only just sitting and watching, but the 30-year-old doing it alone on the road.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
It was Domingue's second ever relief appearance in a NHL post-season game. He stopped 17 shots including a couple of flurries by New York in OT. In his previous playoff game, Domingue stopped seven of seven shots for the Golden Knights against Tampa Bay.
How It Happened
The Rangers dominated the first period. Pens lost Malkin's best winger Rickard Rakell to a high hit with the Rangers leading 1-0. Marino and Guentzel absorbed multiple shots, yet fought through to stay in the game. The Rangers threw all of their haymakers in the first and DeSmith, in his first NHL playoff game, stopped 14 of the 15 shots.
Despite being completely outplayed, the Pens were only down a goal.
1st turning point
Rangers take advantage of a crazy amount of zone time early in the second period to get a second goal, 2-0. Yet with everything against them, this Pens team fought back.
Even after Shesterkin made a great save on Letang, Rust didn't put his head down, rather went after the puck and kept it in the zone, over to Crosby who found Guentzel alone in front of the goalie. Suddenly it's 2-1 and life.
The rest of the period was all Penguins. Guentzel would score again as would Rust part of a 25-shot barrage on Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers got a third goal on a shorty, but that was their only sign of life.
The break
A tighter checking third period that included a Danton Heinen post and Shesterkin robbing Kasperi Kapenen with the glove. The Rangers appeared to take the lead as Kaapo Kakko charged the net with Brian Dumoulin on him, DeSmith taken out of the play and Filip Chytil dumped it into an empty net. With just 3:10 left, the Pens decided it was worth the gamble to challenge the play for goalie interference. The NHL ruled DeSmith was interfered with and the game-winner wiped off the board and it headed to overtime.
What made the win as crazy is Shesterkin, likely Vezina Trophy winner who made 79 saves, was masterful and the Rangers are almost automatic when holding a two-goal lead.
5th longest game in Pens history
Ottawa beat Pens 4-3 April 22, 2010 at 7:06 of 3rd OT
Pens beat Detroit 4-3, June 2, 2008 at 9:57 of 3rd OT
Pens beat Washington 3-2 on April 24, 1996 at 10:15 of 4th OT
Up Next
Wednesday is a scheduled practice day in New York and then game two of the series Thursday night at MSG before playing in Pittsburgh Saturday night.
