The puck and the series hung in the balance Friday the 13th at PPG Paints Arena, with all eyes on it but those of goaltender Louis Domingue.
From just inside the blue line, Rangers forward Chris Kreider unleashed a shot that the Penguins netminder attempted to turn away by punching it with his blocker. As the puck floated high into the air over Domingue’s shoulder, center Jeff Carter reached out in desperation to keep it out.
But it was no use.
The puck skidded across the goal line with 1:28 left in regulation to snap the tie score. The Rangers tacked on an empty-netter to settle it, 5-3.
The Penguins, who once had a controlling 3-1 lead on the series, now head to Madison Square Garden for a decisive Game 7 on Sunday night after watching a two-goal, second-period lead evaporate for the second consecutive game.
“Nobody said that it was going to be easy,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “They're a really good team. A lot of skilled players that can score goals. So it's a race to four. We have to regroup, stay positive and get the job done.”
The Penguins entered the game without their No. 1 netminder (Tristan Jarry), top pairing defenseman (Brian Dumoulin), critical deadline addition (Rickard Rakell) and – most significantly – captain Sidney Crosby. But more than the injuries, the self-inflicted wounds are what undid the Penguins.
A multi-goal lead vanished again. Undisciplined penalties put the NHL’s fourth-best regular-season power play on the ice for two second-period tallies. And for the second consecutive game, a Penguins 5-on-3 power play was squandered, this time without a single shot on goal.
From the very beginning when the tone for these games was set with a triple overtime thriller, it’s been a series defined by dramatic momentum swings. Friday night, they came in waves.
In the first period, the Penguins’ goal song “Party Hard” was on repeat with a pair of tallies just 1:36 apart. First, Carter banged home a rebound on the doorstep, as the Penguins continued their approach of getting bodies and pucks to the net. Moments later, Jake Guentzel found Bryan Rust, who burned Hart Trophy finalist goalie Igor Shesterkin with a one-timer.
Just like that, the Penguins had the Rangers on the ropes again. For the second consecutive game, they held a 2-0 lead needing only to protect it to end New York’s season and advance to the second round for the first time since 2019.
And just like that, it was gone.
The game swung when Evan Rodrigues' stick did in the second period. The Penguins forward was shoved headfirst into the boards on a somewhat questionable play. As fans screamed for a penalty, Rodrigues instead took one of his own when he committed a retaliatory roughing infraction.
"He can't [retaliate]. He just simply can't,” Sullivan said. “He's got to keep his emotions in check. That's a necessary part of winning at this time of year."
In a game in which special teams played a leading role in the outcome, the sequence put the Penguins penalty kill onto the ice without key penalty killer Brian Boyle, who left the game late in the first with a lower-body injury.
Off a set faceoff play, the Rangers worked the puck to Mika Zibanejad atop the right circle. He uncorked a lethal one-timer that beat goalie Domingue. Then, just 1:16 later during 5-on-5 play, Zibanejad again wound up and let one rip, this time from the opposite circle.
After the Penguins let 1:07 of 5-on-3 time go to waste, the Rangers potent power play was again given an opportunity to be the difference when Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson committed a high-sticking double minor. This time, off the rush, Kreider followed Zibanejad’s initial shot, giving New York a 3-2 lead.
The Penguins finished the regular season with the NHL’s third-best penalty kill. However, they’ve now allowed five total power-play goals in six playoff games.
“[The Rangers power play] is doing a good job kind of switching their position and just having different guys in different areas,” Penguins penalty killer Brock McGinn said. “It's a little tough for us to read, but I think we got to do a better job of just bearing down, making sure we're getting pucks all the way down and just staying on them.”
PPG Paints Arena was once again rocking with towels twirling and “Igoooor” jeers echoing. At this moment? Silence.
A team desperate for a spark found it from Evgeni Malkin. Jacob Trouba, the same player who knocked Crosby out of Game 5 with a high elbow, tried to throw a pass across the blue line to his defensive partner. Instead, Malkin picked it off and was off to the races.
Malkin’s brilliant breakaway goal tied the score at 3 and set the stage for the biggest 20 minutes of the Penguins’ season.
“That's a huge momentum builder for us,” Sullivan said.
Both teams had their chances in the final frame. One of the Penguins’ best came when Matheson set up Rust in the slot. But the shot sailed wide.
For a minute, it looked like yet another overtime loomed. Instead, Kreider scored and Andrew Copp tacked on the empty-netter.
The Penguins have ridden the highs and lows of a series that featured overtime winners, multi-goal deficits blown and everything in between. Now their season comes down to one game, hanging in the balance like that puck above Domingue’s head.
"We've got to be able to move by this,” Sullivan said. “You've got to have a short memory at this time of year. We've got to win one game and we're very capable."
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: May 14, 2022, 2:01 a.m.
Updated: May 14, 2022, 4:16 a.m.