Penguins Capture Raucous Game 3, Forge 2-1 Series Lead

I was watching last night’s Game 3 between the Penguins and Islanders at the Fireside Inn, enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich and imbibing in a brewski (or two-ski). It was between periods and I was basking in the fact that our boys held a seemingly secure 3-1 lead.

We’d gotten goals from Kris Letang, Jeff Carter and Jason Zucker. “Zucks” tally in particular was a thing of beauty, born of teamwork, hustle and some fancy moves by the previously snake-bitten winger. Tristan Jarry looked sharp and confident between the pipes.

Suddenly a stark reality set in, bubbling up from my hockey subconscious and oozing into my brain like some primordial warning beacon.

With the series tied 1-1, the Pens blew a 3-1 Game 3 lead against Montreal last fall.

I shuddered…then quickly tried to reassure myself. No way that could happen again. This is a different bunch. Much more depth and character.

The third period started. I began counting down the time while keeping an anxious eye on the clock in the upper-left portion of the TV screen. It ticked down to 18 minutes, 17 minutes and then…WHAM! John Marino’s helmet was dislodged during a scrum along the boards. Complying with a ridiculous rule that requires helmetless players to head straight to the bench, No. 6 exited the ice, leaving us a man short. While confusion reigned, Cal Clutterbuck drove to the net and scored.

Little did I know it was only tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the gritty winger’s tally touched off one of the wildest finishes to a game I can ever recall. Mayhem and chaos ruled, including a madcap 5-on-5 scrum moments later that resulted in the Pens’ top line and defensive pairing being crammed into the penalty box like so many sardines in a tin. Which led to an Islanders power play. Which led to a game-tying goal by Anthony Beauvillier at 5:54.

To borrow a phrase from Mike Lange, I truly didn’t know whether to cry or wind my watch.

Then, in perhaps the most bone-headed move of the century if not the millennium, Clutterbuck inexplicably performed a swan dive on top of Jarry. The judges gave him a 7 out of 10. The refs issued two minutes for goalie interference. Which opened the door for scoring sensation Carter to beat Seymon Varlamov stick side courtesy of a pretty feed from Evgeni Malkin following a diving play along the boards by Kasperi Kapanen.

That’s 12 goals (yep…a dozen) in 17 regular- and postseason games for the big guy while wearing the black and gold. We should by-pass the voting process right now and name Ron Hextall GM of the Year for acquiring him.

At this stage I was cautiously optimistic that we might actually hold onto the 4-3 lead. But Clutterbuck, anxious to redeem himself, tipped home a long-range blast from Scott Mayfield with five minutes and change left to knot the score again.

I covered my eyes and shook my head…maybe muttered an unrepeatable or two. We’re gonna’ blow this one for sure, I glumly thought.

Then the cavalry came to the rescue in the form of Brandon Tanev. The electric Pens’ winger circled to the slot as Letang cut loose a shot from the right point. The puck struck the stick blade of Isles defender Noah Dobson and hopped high in the air. Timing the fluttering puck perfectly, “Turbo” waited for it to fall below crossbar level before whacking it past a stunned Varlamov, touching off a wild black-and-gold celebration.

Again our guys were stingy when they had to be, refusing to allow a shot on goal for the final 1:55.

At the horn, I was finally able to exhale and enjoy the moment, our hard-earned 2-1 series lead…and my beer.

Sid Selke

For the second straight game, Sidney Crosby authored an extraordinary defensive gem. With a shade over three minutes remaining and the outcome still very much in the balance, he scurried back to our zone following a failed offensive thrust.

He’d barely gotten into position when Brock Nelson teed up a shot at a wide-open Pens net from the left circle. Displaying incredible presence of mind and split-second timing, Sid dove to the ice to deflect Nelson’s shot from harm’s way. A save that may grow to rival Frank Pietrangelo’s in Penguins lore.

Sid Selke, indeed!

Puckpourri

The Islanders held an edge in most statistical categories, including shots on goal (30-27), faceoffs (53 percent) and hits (47-29). The Pens had 14 takeaways…10 more than New York. Each team tallied a power-play goal.

Letang paced the black and gold with a goal and two helpers. “Tanger” had three hits and two shots on goal and finished a plus-three in 24:20 of ice time.

Malkin collected two assists after missing the first two games of the series. He replaced Evan Rodrigues. With a pair of goals, Carter also finished with two points. Zach Aston-Reese and Frederick Gaudreau tallied assists. Freddy has two points in the series, five in 11 career NHL playoff games.

Tanev led the Pens with eight hits, tying Islanders d-man Ryan Pulock for top honors. Turbo’s line held an impressive edge in Corsi events (48-35).

Game 4 is slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Uniondale.

Around the League

Montreal beat heavily favored Toronto, 2-1, in their series opener. Vegas dumped Minnesota, 5-2, to take a 2-1 series lead.

Down 5-3, Florida rallied for three straight goals, including a power-play marker by ex-Pen Patric Hornqvist, to beat Tampa Bay in OT. Sam Bennett also scored (yes, had to put in a plug for “Playoff Sam”). The Lightning lead the series, 2-1.