The Pittsburgh Penguins have found themselves back in playoff positioning after a huge win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

PITTSBURGH – After one of the season's biggest games, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned home for another massively important contest against the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Penguins entered their final afternoon game of the season just two points out of a playoff spot.

As one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference wild card race, the Penguins entered the contest with a ton of momentum.

First Period

It didn’t take long for there to be a level of heat between the two teams, opening the door for a feisty affair. Through the early scrapping and jawing, a 2-on-1 chance arrived for Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust.

Crosby corralled Rust’s pass and slammed home his 40^th goal of the season. Giving the Penguins a huge first goal, Crosby notched the third 40-goal season of his career.

The Penguins had an early lead and were playing tremendous all-around hockey to start the game. They held the Lightning to no shots through nearly 12 minutes of play.

It was a fast-paced first period, including a stretch of almost 10 minutes without a stoppage. The Penguins aren’t a fast team anymore, but they certainly kept up with the Lightning’s speed and went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead after a strong opening period.

Second Period

The second period started much like the first for the Lightning. They failed to record a shot on goal through the first few minutes, and the Penguins were applying serious pressure.

That pressure paid off, as Evgeni Malkin tipped Erik Karlsson's point shot to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. That was Karlsson’s second assist of the night, and Malkin has done a fantastic job of finding an offensive surge down the stretch.

The Lightning have had the NHL’s top-ranked power play for most of the season, and they flexed their muscles on their first man advantage chance. Despite the Penguins getting a good scoring chance while a man down, the Lightning capitalized to make it a 2-1 game.

Steven Stamkos's power-play goal started to shift the momentum in the Lightning’s favor, but the Penguins had an answer. Kris Letang let go of a simple shot towards the net that barely squeezed through Andrei Vasilevskiy.

While debate raged if Drew O’Connor deflected Letang’s shot, Malkin notched his second goal of the game after finding his own rebound. Michael Bunting set Malkin up with a beautiful behind the back pass from behind the net, and Malkin didn't let up on the play.

In the dying minutes of the period, the Penguins killed off a huge power play opportunity for the Lightning to enter the second intermission with good momentum and a massive 4-1 lead.

Third Period

Heading into the final frame, the Penguins were going to need to play smart and strong to shut down a threatening Lightning squad for the final 20 minutes.

The Lightning attacked right away scoring 25 seconds in. Alex Nedeljkovic was playing strong in his eighth straight start, but this was a shot he would want back.

A long pause came over the game after a scary situation occurred at center ice. Lighting defender Haydn Fleury and referee Steve Kozari collided heavily. Kozari laid motionless on the ice for a few moments before being stretchered off the ice.

Now playing with three officials, the Lighting were the next to strike and make it a one-goal game.

Up by just a goal, the Penguins were going to have to kill of a penalty at one of the most crucial points of the contest. The Lightning once again took advantage of the extra man and erased their three-goal deficit.

The Penguins kept battling and were rewarded with a go-ahead goal from Bunting. Collecting a rebound from his office of right above the opposing goal crease.

With time winding down, the Lightning pulled their goalie for the extra attacker and before anyone could create an offensive chance, Marcus Pettersson took a delay of game penalty to give the Lightning a two-man advantage.

The Lightning attacked but the Penguins held strong and got final buzzer to sound.

The Penguins sealed a 5-4 win to not only extend their winning streak to four games but work their way back into playoff positioning.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

Ref Leaves Penguins Game on Stretcher

Penguins vs Lightning: Sticking With What Works

Penguins Send Forward to AHL for Conditioning

Penguins Watch Playoff Odds Spike

Insider: Penguins Defenseman Looking for New Team

• undefined
• undefined