It had been a while since the Penguins were on the sunny side of a handshake line.

Just five days shy of two years had passed since they’d closed out a six-game victory over Columbus in Round 1 of the 2014 playoffs, to be precise.

To the guys who had ended the previous two seasons congratulating the New York Rangers on eliminating them from the Stanley Cup playoffs, it probably seemed longer.

Like, forever.

So when the Penguins clinched a spot in Round 2 with a 6-3 victory against the Rangers in Game 5 of their opening-round series at Consol Energy Center Saturday, receiving the well-wishes rather than offering them was particularly satisfying.

“It was fun,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “It was fun. That’s the only thing I can say about it.”

The Penguins knocked off New York in five games, their quickest victory in a series since beating Ottawa in five in Round 2 in 2013.

They next will face the winner of the Washington-Philadelphia series. The Capitals have a 3-2 lead and could advance with a victory in Game 6 today at 12:08 p.m.

Ending the Rangers series at the earliest opportunity was critical for the Penguins, on several levels.

Not only because of some troubling history – they’d lost two of the past three series in which they took a 3-1 lead and were just 1-8 the previous nine times they could have closed out a series at home – but because the Rangers have a veteran lineup capable of seizing control if it got momentum stemming from a victory in Game 5.

“We certainly didn’t want to have to go back to New York for Game 6,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

The Penguins rendered that issue moot with a dominating performance in the second period.

They entered it with the game tied, 2-2, and left it with a 6-2 lead and their ticket to Round 2 all but officially punched.

“We just played our game,” said right winger Phil Kessel, who scored the Penguins’ second goal. “We used our speed. The little things. And we got rewarded.”

The Penguins got goals from Bryan Rust (two), Matt Cullen and Conor Sheary during the second period.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, the key to New York’s chances of staging an upset, stopped only eight of 12 shots during those 20 minutes, and was replaced by backup Antti Raanta for the second game in a row.

His rookie counterpart for the Penguins, Matt Murray, stopped 38 of 41 shots to earn his third victory in the series.

Murray was, as always, unfazed by adversity, including having New York’s two first-period goals put into his net by teammates Ben Lovejoy and Patric Hornqvist.

That kind of misfortune might cause some goalies to wonder if it simply wasn’t going to be their day.

Murray isn’t one of them.

“No,” he said.

Then, by way of elaboration, Murray added, “No.”

A reasonable response, considering how often he said “No” to the Rangers during the final three games.

Murray is one of 13 players who dressed for Game 5 but weren’t in the lineup when they lost Game 5 to the Rangers a year ago.

This team is faster, deeper and much more menacing than the 2015 edition.

“We were not good enough last year,” Hornqvist said. “We’re a way better team this year.”

And they’re bracing to face a pretty good one – to say nothing of an arch-rival – in Round 2, whether it’s the Capitals or Flyers.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” center Sidney Crosby said. “That’s for sure.”

Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG

First Published: April 23, 2016, 9:59 p.m.
Updated: April 24, 2016, 11:57 a.m.