Geno, Louis, Spicy Pork and Broccoli: Penguins Top Rangers in Three OTs

STEAMROLLERED.

I wrote that single word in my game notes to sum up the first period of last night’s Game 1 clash between the Penguins and Rangers. An apt description if there ever was one.

Indeed, my enduring vision of the opening 20 minutes came near the end of the frame. Rickard Rakell lie face down on the ice, courtesy of a crushing (and high) hit along the boards by Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Across the way another Penguin…Jake Guentzel I believe…was on all fours and struggling to regain his skates. Like bowling pins scattered on an alley.

Guentzel would mercifully continue. Rakell was done for the night.

The poster child for the Rangers’ barbaric play? Ryan Reaves. You remember Reavo. Big fellow. Used to play for us, until Mike Sullivan decided he had no use for him. A story for another time.

Last night Reaves was a one-man wrecking crew. The 225-pound Mack truck on skates delivered four thundering first-period hits (eight in all), including two body-benders on our d-man John Marino. More on him later.

Following the big man’s lead, the Rangers attempted to run our boys out of Madison Square Garden. They nearly succeeded, too, piling up an early 8-1 advantage in shots on goal and snatching the lead at 9:19 on a power-play goal by Adam Fox. When Andrew Copp struck early in the second period to give the Blueshirts a 2-0 lead? I confess…I thought it was game over.

I think the Rangers thought so, too. A stroll in Central Park.

Then someone ripped the needle off the phonograph record. Or more accurately, the Pens dug deep and displayed an enormous reservoir of heart and soul in the face of extreme adversity. And I mean extreme.

Just 84 ticks later, Bryan Rust circled high in the attacking zone and fed Sidney Crosby in the right circle. K’Andre Miller and Mika Zibanejad closed on Crosby, leaving Guentzel wide open in front of the net. Sid threaded a pass between the defenders to Jake, who banged it past Igor Shesterkin.

Incredibly, the Pens proceeded to dominate their puffed-up hosts, piling up a 25-8 edge in second-period shots on goal.

We knotted the score at 2-apiece at the 11:47 mark thanks to a buttery smooth transition by our top line. Rust fed a picture perfect outlet pass to Crosby, who cut diagonally across the top of the Rangers’ zone to buy time and space before slipping a backhand pass to a breaking Guentzel. Jake shot quickly, beating Shesterkin high stick side.

Unfortunately, we hiccupped while working on a power play with three minutes left in the period. Zibanejad slithered past a stationary Evgeni Malkin and moved the puck to Chris Kreider on a 2-on-1. The Rangers’ 50-goal man skirted the diving efforts of Guentzel and went forehand to backhand. Casey DeSmith didn’t have a prayer.

Three-two, Rangers. Surely all the edge the stingy Shesterkin and his pals would need.

But hold the phone. Jacob Trouba boarded Guentzel to leave the Rangers two-men short. Kris Letang calmly took the puck on a walkabout across the top of the zone before dishing the puck to Malkin to the right of the net. Rather than trying a jam shot, Geno coolly feathered a cross-crease pass to Rust at the far post. Rusty slammed the puck home to knot the score at 3-all.

Each team had their chances in the third period. With a dozen minutes to go, Kasperi Kapanen sprung Danton Heinen on a breakaway. Danton hit iron on both his initial shot and follow-up try. With five minutes left in regulation, a revitalized Kapanen unleashed a bullet from the slot, forcing Shesterkin to make a huge glove save.

Then, with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, the Rangers struck for the apparent go-ahead goal. Kaapo Kakko stole the puck and steamed straight to the net, ripping off a shot before barreling into DeSmith. The force of the collision pushed Casey far from the cage, leaving the net wide open for an easy tap-in by Filip Chytil.

Sullivan challenged, claiming goalie interference. For once lady luck smiled on our Pens. Although Brian Dumoulin appeared to push Kakko into DeSmith, the war room in Toronto ruled in favor of the black and gold. The goal was waved off.

The game ground through a first overtime, then a second. Disaster appeared to strike midway through the second overtime when DeSmith abruptly flagged down a referee and pulled himself from the game with an apparent lower-body injury. Backup Louis Domingue, sitting in cold storage on a chair near the Zamboni, was thrust into the game at a critical juncture.

Fueled by an in-game meal of spicy pork and broccoli, Big Louis stood tall. He squelched 14 Rangers shots in the second overtime and three more in the third. Remarkably, the aging Pens found a second wind, carrying the play to their hosts with renewed vigor.

I remember thinking that we had to win this game. To come so close and fall short…I didn’t think we could recover.

Well, the hockey gods smiled a second time at 5:58 of the third OT. Brock McGinn and Kapanen won a puck battle in the left corner of the Rangers’ zone. Kappy ragged the puck behind the net and up the far wall before slipping a pass to Marino at center point. The Pens’ defender zipped a shot toward the net, where Malkin fought off the persistent attention of Chytil to set up shop in front of Shesterkin. The puck deflected off Geno’s stick and in for the OT winner. Correction…3 OT winner. Touching off a riotous victory celebration among the black and gold.

Delicious win. Simply delicious.

Puckpourri

I scarcely know where to begin. The Pens attempted a staggering 143 shots (to the Rangers 98) and outshot the Rags 83-68. We held the edge in scoring chances for (72-37) and high-danger chances (32-15).

The three stars went to Malkin, Shesterkin and Rust. The Rusty Razor snapped a nine-game pointless drought with a goal and two assists. Jake had two goals, Geno a goal and an assist and Sid two assists.

Letang (an assist) logged a mind-blowing 46:41 of ice time.

In addition to assisting on the game winner, Kapanen unleashed eight shots on goal and played a dynamic game…easily his best in months. I was pulling for Kappy to score the game winner.

DeSmith stopped 48 of 51 shots before exiting. Domingue stopped all 17 shots he faced in relief. A shout-out to Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, who suggested a while back that Domingue would play a key role in the Pens’ postseason plans.

Eerie how Domingue was poised to assert himself when he went down with a foot injury. And the door reopened for him due to Tristan Jarry’s foot injury.

Speaking of injuries, DeSmith and Rakell are being evaluated.

The series resumes on Thursday night in Madison Square Garden.

And that’s it. I’m spent.