Penguins Stun Rangers to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
The Pittsburgh Penguins have ended their road losing streak with a shocking win over the New York Rangers.
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t won a road game since late February, and with the calendar turning to April, they hit arguably the most challenging part of their schedule. Amid a four-game road trip, the Penguins traveled to take on the New York Rangers in the opening half of a back-to-back.
Just moments before puck drop, the Penguins announced that multiple players, including expected starting goalie Tristan Jarry, were scratched from the lineup. Jarry and defenseman John Ludvig were taken out due to illness, while forward Sam Poulin was a healthy scratch.
First Period
Despite the last-second change, the Penguins took no time to take an early lead. Just 18 seconds into the contest, Sidney Crosby rifled a shot off Igor Shesterkin’s pads, forcing a rebound straight to Bryan Rust. With a ton of open net to work with, Rust put home his 25th goal of the season.
Riding an early lead, the Penguins carried most of the momentum through the early stages of the period. With their foot on the pedal, Crosby put the Penguins up by two with a perfect deflection.
A shot from P.O. Joseph was tipped by Crosby for his 36th goal and his 81st points of the season. Crosby needed just one more to secure his 19th straight point-per-game season.
The Rangers managed to work the pace back into their favor down the stretch of the period, but the Penguins took their 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
Second Period
Early in the second frame, the Rangers were given a power play chance and the opportunity to start a comeback. The Rangers thought they scored to break up Alex Nedejkovic’s shutout, but the goal was called off right away.
Officials determined Nedeljkovic was interfered with, and the Penguins got a goalie interference call to go their way.
Outside of the called back Rangers goal, both netminders remained strong through the entire middle frame. The Penguins retained their 2-0 lead into the third period.
Third Period
Having a two-goal lead was nice for the Penguins, but they would need to find insurance quickly. Far too many times over the past two seasons, the Penguins have watched multi-goal leads fade away in the final 20 minutes.
It took some time, but the Penguins got their insurance tally thanks to a lengthy breakaway from Emil Bemstrom. Jesse Puljujarvi popped a puck loose before Bemstrom picked it up and beat Shesterkin with ease.
The Rangers managed to answer back with their first goal of the game, but even that shot was mostly stopped by Nedeljkovic. A one-time shot from Kaapo Kakko was initially stopped by Nedeljkovic, but his glove slipped over the goal line.
With time winding down, the Rangers weren't done. They picked up a second tally to crawl back within one. The Rangers pulled Shesterkin in hopes of securing the comeback, but the Penguins pounced.
Rust and Crosby both scored respective empty net goals to secure a 5-2 win for the Penguins. More so, Crosby's goal secured his 19th consecutive point-per-game season, tying him with Wayne Gretzky for the most all-time.
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