Penguins Power Past Rangers 5-2 in Game 1

Back in 1991, Penguins coaching legend Bob Johnson was fond of saying it took contributions from all 28 of his players to bring the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh. In the wake of the Pens’ 5-2 thumping of the visiting New York Rangers last night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, it’s safe to say the black and gold has a leg up on Badger Bob’s assertion.

Channeling his inner Frank Pietrangelo, No. 3 goalie Jeff Zatkoff turned in a dazzling 35-save performance worthy of a place of honor in Penguins lore. With his teammates stuck in neutral during a rough opening period Zatkoff stood especially tall, stopping 12 Rangers shots—the bulk of which came during the first 10 minutes of play.

“It was a special performance for a special guy,” Trevor Daley said. “He’s been such a great teammate for the guys around the room. It’s not a better feeling than to see him go in there and do the job he did.”

Zatkoff had plenty of help. Patric Hornqvist chipped in with his first NHL playoff hat trick to earn the game’s No. 1 star. Captain Sidney Crosby added a goal and two helpers. Norris Trophy hopeful Kris Letang collected two assists to go with a sparkling plus-3.

A glorious outcome hardly seemed assured given the Pens’ rocky start. Following a pair of lifeless first-period power plays, the locals finally found their legs while killing a penalty to Eric Fehr. Ex-Ranger Carl Hagelin nearly scored on a redirect, energizing the Penguins’ bench and providing a much-needed spark.

The tenor of the game changed abruptly in the final minute of the opening frame. New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist sustained a freak injury when he caught the tip of teammate Marc Staal’s stick blade through his mask.

Following a lengthy delay, “King Henrik” returned to the net. The Penguins pounced. Hustling Conor Sheary outraced lumbering Dan Girardi to a loose puck and flipped an odd-angle shot on goal. The rubber glanced off the arm of Lundqvist and onto the waiting stick of countryman Hornqvist, who steamed down the slot and shoveled it home.

The goal stunned the Rangers and emboldened the Pens.

When the second period began, it was Antti Raanta and not Lundqvist stationed between the Rangers’ pipes. The Finnish backup held the surging Pens at bay for most of the second period, stopping seven shots. But with just over a minute remaining Hornqvist sprung Crosby on a breakaway. No. 87 cradled the puck on his blade before ripping a shot past Raanta to the glove side. The Consol Energy Center crowd leapt to its feet in a frenzied towel-waving celebration.

Entering the third period with a 2-0 lead, the Pens appeared to be firmly in the driver’s seat. However, overlapping penalties to Hagelin and Ian Cole led to a lengthy 5-on-3 for the Rangers. Derek Stepan ruined Zatkoff’s shutout bid at 3:08 with a backdoor tally off a crisp feed from Rick Nash.

Suddenly, it was a one-goal game. New York had new life and plenty of time left with the man advantage.

The Pens’ penalty killers responded—big time. Letang slid a backhand pass off the wall to Nick Bonino, who cruised into the Rangers’ zone 2-on-1. After freezing Blueshirts defender Keith Yandle, “Bones” slipped the puck to rookie Tom Kuhnhackl, who buried it behind a helpless Raanta at 5:31 to restore the Pens’ two-goal edge.

Pens coach Mike Sullivan was most appreciative.

“I thought Tommy Kuhnhackl’s goal in the short-handed situation was huge as far as momentum in the third period for us,” he said.

Minutes later Hornqvist jammed his second goal of the night past Raanta on the power play to widen the Pens’ margin. Stepan and “Horny” exchanged tallies during the last 10 minutes to make the final score 5-2.