The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, in overtime Sunday night at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost despite having been undefeated this season while leading after the second period.
The game started out with both teams playing stellar defense — the shot count was low for both teams, and there weren’t many phenomenal chances. However, with .07 seconds left in the period, Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin scored his first NHL playoff goal, and the Penguins ended the period up 1-0.
Period two was eventful for both teams. It started out quickly for the Penguins when Patric Hornqvist scored a minute and a half into the period. The Lightning then struck quickly with back-to-back goals from Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov. At the end of the period, Pittsburgh once again took the lead off a Chris Kunitz goal.
Then, after a long third period, Kucherov scored his second goal of the game to tie it at 3-3.
The game then went to overtime, which ended very quickly when, after 53 seconds, Tyler Johnson scored on a deflection off Jason Garrison to give Tampa Bay the 3-2 series lead.
Marc Andre Fleury
After not playing in a game since March, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made his return to the NHL playoffs in Sunday night’s game, and he came out with a bang. And while he gave up four goals, Fleury isn’t to blame for the loss. Pittsburgh suffered from not having defenseman Trevor Daley on the ice (he’s out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle), and defenseman Kris Letang wasn’t on his game for the majority of the night. The defense also committed several costly turnovers that could — and should — have been prevented.
With this loss, it’s even more unclear who will start the next game in net for the Penguins: Fleury or Matt Murray, who has played well in the playoffs.
What’s Next?
The Penguins play the Lighting in Game 6 on Tuesday at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Image credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
