This evening the New York Rangers (43-24-8) hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-8) in a battle that made the battle in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division that much more interesting. Eric Staal scored a pair of goals and were the Rangers’ only two goals in their 3-2 loss against the Penguins.
Pittsburgh drew even closer to the second place spot in their division with tonight’s win and has made the race for the playoffs much more interesting. Marc-Andre Fleury has continued to shine and made 25 saves against New York.
The two teams were tied going into the third period and remained that way until only 30 seconds remained in overtime. Kris Letang smacked puck and eventually grazed Sidney Crosby, sneaking in past Henrik Lundqvist to give Pittsburgh a confidence-boosting win.
Playoff Hockey
Fans witnessed what could be a potential playoff series if the season were to end today. Pittsburgh played a well-paced game and were able to make the Rangers’ netminder, Henrik Lundqvist, to get out of position. New York was able to establish two leads, but quickly vanished as the Penguins were able to respond moments later.
Pittsburgh’s forecheck was very aggressive tonight and it showed on many occasions. The Penguins forced 12 takeaways in regulation and made open lane shots, but had a hard time putting more than two behind one of the league’s best goalies.
This Easter Day’s game was also fairly physical with both teams having over 20 hits registered in regulation. The Penguins struggled going 0-2 on the powerplay and began overtime play with a man advantage, but could not generate much offense.
Overtime Sensations
Overtime began with the Penguins on a powerplay, but after failing to score, New York stormed back and were not far off from creating a different outcome. Sidney Crosby was awarded the game-winning goal with under a minute left in extra time.
Pittsburgh has been red hot as of late and looked tip-top defensively considering all of the uncertainties regarding health. The Penguins were able to collapse on the puck when it was loose around Fleury.
In the last nine games, Pittsburgh has a record of 8-1-0 and has put together a very impressive month of hockey. What makes this game even more exciting is to see Pittsburgh able to defeat Lundqvist and his Rangers on home ice.
If these two teams should see each other again in the playoffs, it will make for some very exciting hockey. The Penguins have been able to pursue the puck and play with blazing speed. The offense, once again, was able to out-shoot their opponent and has found success with the shoot first mentality.
What’s Next
The Penguins will next be in action on Tuesday when they face the Buffalo Sabres in Pittsburgh at 7:00 p.m.
