Regardless of how the bottom six forwards do, the Penguins know they need their top scoring lines to produce if they have any chance of winning their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history
If this game was a preview of what Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will do in the playoffs, the Penguins could find themselves competing in June.
Crosby and Malkin combined for seven points including the game-winning goal by James Neal 1:27 into overtime to lift the Penguins over the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 on Saturday.
Arguably the top two centers in the league hooked up 5:29 into the second period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Evgeni Malkin carried the puck through the neutral zone with speed before dishing a perfect cross-ice pass to Sidney Crosby who buried the puck into the net with a one-timer.
Tampa Bay evened up the score late in the second with a power play goal of their own. Victor Hedman passed to Steven Stamkos along the half-wall. Without hesitating, Stamkos went cross-ice to Valtteri Filppula for the goal.
The Lightning took the lead mid-way through the third period on Stamkos’s 20th goal of the season. Radko Gudas threw the puck towards the net from the right point and Stamkos swooped in to chip a loose puck past goaltender Jeff Zatkoff.
Pittsburgh responded with two goals from Evgeni Malkin to take the lead late in the third period. Matt Niskanen’s wrist shot from the point was kicked out by the goaltender Anders Lindback and landed right on Malkin’s stick for his 23rd of the season.
Less than five minutes later, Jussi Jokinen forced a turnover in the Tampa Bay zone. Jokinen found Malkin alone in front of the Lightning net and the former Conn Smythe winner buried the puck past Lindback with a quick spinning backhander.
Ondrej Palat ruined the possibility of Pittsburgh claiming the game in regulation when he scored with under two minutes remaining in the game to tie the score at four. Palat took the puck with speed in the neutral zone, skated past Olli Maatta and beat Zatkoff with a wrist shot on the stick side.
In overtime, Crosby and Malkin assisted on James Neal’s power play goal. Malkin fed Neal whose one-timer beat Lindback on the far side.
Three Stars
- Evgeni Malkin
- Sidney Crosby
- Steven Stamkos
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
