NEW YORK — A series that began in Game 1 with a triple overtime marathon that tested both teams’ stamina and third-string goalie Louis Domingue’s stomach was bookended in a similar way.
Well, with one notable exception: the overtime result.
In Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin ripped a shot from the right faceoff circle that sailed through traffic for the decisive power-play tally. New York players poured off the bench in a blur of blue and red to dogpile the sniper in the corner, while the Penguins doubled over on the bench awaiting a handshake that would end their season.
And like that, for the fourth consecutive year, the Penguins’ postseason ended with a first-round flameout in the form of a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. New York became the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to record three consecutive comeback wins in elimination games within the same series.
“We’re right there,” Penguins forward Jake Guentzel said. “We put ourselves in a good spot being up 3-1 [in the series]. It’s disappointing to think about that we had a lead in each game — and kind of gave that away.”
Given the uncertain contract status of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang (not to mention Bryan Rust), it’s fair to wonder if this was not just the end of a season but also the end of an era. After hosting three Stanley Cup parades in Pittsburgh, there is no guarantee that Sidney Crosby’s two mainstays will be back for another season.
Could this be it?
“It's a possibility,” Crosby said. “I think we knew that coming into the playoffs. But I think you try not to really think about that. You hope that we can make a good run.”
That decision and those discussions can be pushed to the back burner, at least momentarily, as the speculation will continue to swirl until the free agency frenzy opens in the summer.
For now, let’s focus on Sunday and the series as a whole. When the dust settles on this one, the Penguins will look back at the chances they let slip away in a series they led, 3-1.
On this same ice on Wednesday, the Penguins held a 2-0 lead in Game 5 and were less than 25 minutes from closing out the series. But when Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba threw his elbow toward the face of the league, the Penguins lost Crosby, the lead in less than three minutes and the game.
Given a second chance to close things out in Game 6 sans Crosby and still without No. 1 netminder Tristan Jarry, the Penguins again held a 2-0, second-period lead at home at PPG Paints Arena. And again, they let it get away.
In Sunday’s Game 7, the Penguins were again in position to advance.
Guentzel continued to put his fingerprints all over the series with his NHL-best eighth goal of this postseason. Evan Rodrigues earned a measure of vindication for his Game 6 penalty by netting a beauty of a backhander in the second period, a goal that looked like it might stand as the eventual game-winner. Crosby returned just days after absorbing that hit to the head.
And Jarry played his guts out in his 2022 postseason debut after missing an entire month due to a broken foot, stopping 26 of the 30 shots he faced. The goaltender was clearly less than 100%, slow to get up after several plays and wobbling to the postgame press conference with a thick ice pack on his right foot.
“That's something that hurt the most was just not being able to be out there and just go to battle with the guys,” Jarry said. “…I think that just being able to play, I was grateful for that. I was grateful that they trusted to put me in for [Game 7].”
Thanks to those efforts and more, the Penguins held a 3-2 lead and were just 5:45 away from earning their first trip to the second round since 2018.
However, likely only minutes away from Rangers desperation mode, the Penguins got hemmed into their own zone. Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad’s one-timer from the right faceoff dot beat Jarry over his glove side to send the game to overtime.
On the play, Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson had to leave the ice due to a rule implemented ahead of the 2019-20 season that requires players who lose their helmets to leave the ice. Jarry said after that if Pettersson can stay on the ice to defend, it’s likely a “nothing play.”
That set the stage for Panarin’s heroics.
“I think was an example of, in one game anything can happen,” Crosby said. “We didn't get that extra goal there late in the game and a terrible rule probably ends up being the difference in the game.”
The way the Penguins let a series they controlled unravel without warning mirrors the way the regular season ended. Through December and January, Pittsburgh was the NHL’s hottest hockey team, reeling off a ridiculous 17-2 record. At that point, the Penguins looked every bit like a legitimate contender if they could only get healthy and add a difference-maker at the deadline.
Instead, things came undone over the past six weeks. The Penguins eventually limped into the playoffs after having won just seven of their final 18 games — a stretch that included three lopsided losses to these same Rangers.
Because of those results, the Penguins entered the series as decided underdogs. Somewhat surprisingly, they were in prime position to earn vindication and make some noise, riding dominant efforts from the top line to a 3-1 series lead.
However, much like the regular season, just when the Penguins appeared to have an opportunity to make noise in the postseason they were instead met with shocked silence.
“A lot of people didn't expect us to get this far, let alone get in the playoffs,” Crosby said. “We had high expectations. We battled through a lot. And so many guys contributed. I think for all those reasons we thought we'd still be playing.”
After Panarin’s winner advanced the Rangers to Raleigh, N.C., Crosby waited at the tunnel leading to the dressing room. He greeted each Penguins player with a tap on the pads or a word of encouragement as they walked off the ice.
Finally, after each Penguins player was gone, Crosby took his final steps off the ice and vanished down the dark tunnel at Madison Square Garden toward an uncertain offseason.
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: May 16, 2022, 2:28 a.m.
Updated: May 16, 2022, 4:18 a.m.