The New York Rangers avoided elimination by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series on Wednesday night. Filip Chytil scored the game-winning goal early in the third period.
Jacob Trouba and Alexis Lafrenière each recorded a goal and an assist for the Rangers. While Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren scored. Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves after allowing ten goals over three periods in the previous two games.
Pittsburgh leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, thanks to two goals from Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. Evgeni Malkin recorded two assists, while Louis Domingue made 29 saves.
Sidney Crosby, a standout for the Penguins, exited the ice with an injury approximately seven minutes endured in the second period and did not return.
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in Pittsburgh, while a potentially decisive Game 7 would play at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
At 2:53 of the third period, on the Rangers’ first power play, Chytil received a feed from Lafrenière in the right circle, circled, and sent a shot past Domingue to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead.
With roughly 1 1/2 minutes remaining, Pittsburgh replaced Domingue with an additional skater. Twenty seconds later, during a play pause, he reappeared briefly and then departed the ice again. Lindgren secured the victory with an empty-net goal with 16 seconds remaining.
Mike Matheson of the Penguins struck the goalpost 3 1/2 minutes into the second period, leading 1-0 after 20 minutes. Domingue then made saves on shots by Artemi Panarin and Lindgren. Two minutes later, the goalie also blocked a slap shot by Trouba and a follow-up by Panarin.
Letang made it 2-0 at 7:58 when he received a feed from Malkin across the ice and beat Shesterkin with a slap shot on Pittsburgh’s opening attempt of the period.
Three Rangers goals in 2:42 of the second period gave them the lead
With 4:49 remaining, Fox scored for the Rangers after gaining possession of the puck inside the blue line. Also, methodically skating up, and fires a shot from the top of the right circle over Domingue’s shoulder.
After 90 seconds, Lafrenière knotted the game with a fast slap shot in front of a Kaapo Kakko centering pass.
Trouba put the Rangers up again 1 minute and 12 seconds later when he skated around the right circle and backhanded a shot from the center past Domingue.
The lead lasted just 13 seconds before Guentzel knotted the game. With his second of the night and eighth on a goal assisted by Malkin’s centering feed.
The Rangers outshot the Penguins 11-10 in the opening period. With most of their attempts coming from the outside.
Twenty-four seconds into the game, Chris Kreider imposed slashing. Jacob Trouba was called for elbowing, giving the Penguins a 5-on-3 power play. During their advantage, the Rangers limited their opponent to only two goals, with Shesterkin making a great glove stop on Guentzel.
Guentzel collected the rebound of his shot and fired a centering pass from behind. The goal line that sidetracks in by Shesterkin’s leg with 9 1/2 minutes remaining. He gets his sixth goal of the season.
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