By Dan Scifo
November 16, 2014
Nov 15, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against New York Rangers right wing Kevin Hayes (13) during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins were given a second chance for a win - and they quickly made the most of it.
Brandon Sutter scored in the fourth round of the shootout, after the Rangers thought they had won it, and Pittsburgh escaped with a wild 3-2 victory against New York on Saturday night.
''I never saw anything like it,'' Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. ''Most of the players didn't see it as we were coming into the room, so then we had to scramble to get guys back on the bench.''
Dan Boyle appeared to win it for the Rangers in the third round, but his goal was then disallowed after a video review showed he hit the puck a second time on a rebound.
''I know I tried to stuff it between the post and his skate,'' Boyle said. ''I haven't seen the replay yet. I have no idea what happened, but it's a high to a low in a hurry.''
After both teams returned from the dressing rooms, Sutter beat Henrik Lundqvist with a wrist shot. Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury then stopped Rick Nash - tied for the NHL lead with 12 goals - to end the game for good.
''Sutter was the next guy, so he was ready, but (Fleury), I give him a lot of credit because he has to come in after thinking he had lost the game,'' Johnston said. ''That's tough to do, and he went out there and stopped one of the best shooters in the league.''
Sidney Crosby failed to record a point in his fifth straight game against New York, but scored in the shootout. Derek Stepan had the lone shootout goal for the Rangers, but it didn't erase the sting of the loss.
''Half the guys had their sweaters off, half the sticks were packed, and it wasn't a good goal,'' Rangers' coach Alain Vigneault said. ''It was the right call. We had to come back, and they won it.''
Evgeni Malkin scored his seventh goal, and Blake Comeau added his fourth in regulation for Pittsburgh, which has won nine of 10. The Penguins beat the Rangers five days after losing 5-0 in New York.
''That was definitely our worst game, so far,'' Johnston said. ''It's important to rebound when you have a tough night.''
Fleury stopped 29 shots to defeat the Rangers for the first time in five games.
Martin St. Louis and Lee Stempniak had goals for New York. Nash played in his 800th career game and recorded his 100th point with the Rangers, who have lost the past two games in shootouts.
Lundqvist made 36 saves. He had won the previous four against the Penguins, including the final three of last season's second-round playoff series when the Rangers rallied from a 3-1 hole to advance.
Lundqvist stopped two breakaways in overtime. The first came against Crosby, a blocker save 20 seconds in. He turned aside Kris Letang in the final 5 seconds.
The Rangers went on a 4-on-3 power play with 1:42 remaining when Rob Scuderi tripped Chris Kreider.
Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi left with 6:13 remaining in the scoreless third period after a check by Malkin behind the net. He returned in overtime.
''That's the best thing to take out of this game, that (Girardi) came back,'' Lundqvist said. ''I was really worried that he was going to be out for a while.''
The Rangers have lost six of eight - four of the losses in shootouts.
''I feel like I played a really solid game and did some good things out there, but in the end, come up short in the shootout,'' Lundqvist said. ''There are no excuses, but it's tough. You have to regroup.''
The teams struck 15 seconds apart in the first period, Comeau opening the scoring at 14:12 with a shot that caromed in off Lundqvist's arm. Stempniak answered when he put a bouncing rebound off Girardi's point shot past Fleury.
The Rangers took the lead less than two minutes later on St. Louis' power-play goal.
Malkin tied it at 8:09 of the second, a play that started when Nick Spaling intercepted an outlet pass in the Rangers zone. Malkin's one-timer bounced in off Lundqvist.
That tying goal set up the shootout dramatics.
''You think you have two points, and you relax, but have to go back out there,'' Lundqvist said. ''Obviously, you have everything to lose and they have everything to win in that situation.''
NOTES: St. Louis has seven points in seven games. ... The Penguins wore their third jersey for a second time, a throwback to the black and yellow-gold color scheme from when they won their first two Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992. ... Penguins D Olli Maatta is practicing, but was scratched after having a cancerous tumor removed from his neck.
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