Bolts Jolt Penguins in Game 4, Even Series

Penguins’ fans were treated to a classic two-fer last night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. As in two games rolled into one.

The first part? Not so good. Playing with their backs to the wall, the Tampa Bay Lightning employed an aggressive forecheck to snatch the momentum and pile up a 30-22 edge in shots on goal through 40 minutes. Not to mention a commanding 4-0 lead on tallies by Ryan Callahan, Andrej Sustr, Jonathan Drouin, and Tyler Johnson, who overcame a puck to the mouth in warmups to notch the eventual game winner.

The second part? Pure Penguins. With Marc-Andre Fleury replacing harried rookie Matt Murray between the pipes, the black and gold staged an electric third-period rally to narrow the gap to 4-3, courtesy of goals by Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, and Chris Kunitz.

Perhaps Pens coach Mike Sullivan summed it up best.

“We were not the more determined team for the first half of the game,” he noted. “They are a good team, and we knew this was going to be a hard game.”

No, it wasn’t the Pens’ finest hour. Not by a long shot. On the heels of a terrific overall effort in Game 3, they executed an abrupt turnabout and delivered a lumpy, uneven game.

In particular, they left Murray exposed on numerous occasions. Especially on Johnson’s goal, when Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist got trapped behind the play to create a 3-on-2 break for Tampa Bay.

The locals repeatedly were drawn into the scrums and extracurriculars Sullivan implores them to avoid. Culminating in defenseman Kris Letang’s understandable…yet inexplicable…mid-game meltdown.

Frustrated by the abrasive tactics of Callahan and checker J.T. Brown, the passionate Pens’ defender blew a fuse. He fired a puck at Drouin after a whistle, then engaged mammoth Brian Boyle in a prolonged shoving match to earn a double-minor.

More amused than ruffled, Boyle grinned at his antagonist. Meanwhile, “Tanger” watched helplessly from the penalty box as his initial target, Drouin, pounded another nail in the Pens’ collective coffin with a power-play goal.

“I should’ve been more disciplined,” No. 58 confessed.

Perhaps the gravest setback of all came in the form of an injury. Trevor Daley was rammed into the end boards by Callahan midway through the contest and came up lame. Unable to put any weight on his left leg, the Toronto native had to be assisted to the locker room.

A crushing blow if the quicksilver defenseman is out for any length of time.

Okay, deep breath.

There were positives.

Getting Fleury some work, for one. “Flower” hadn’t seen game action in nearly seven weeks. While hardly under heavy fire thanks to the Pens’ third-period surge, he made seven saves and seemed reasonably rust-free before departing in the waning moments for an extra attacker.

Great to see Malkin score, too. Geno hadn’t lit the lamp since the series opener against Washington. Getting No. 71 untracked, production-wise, could reap huge dividends at crunch time.

Bottom line? The Penguins took Tampa Bay’s best punch while playing a decidedly sloppy game. And nearly came back to win.

I still like our chances.