National Hockey League
Pittsburgh 5, NY Rangers 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Referees: Frederic L'Ecuyer, Jean Hebert
Linesmen: Jonny Murray, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance: 18006

NEW YORK -- It took a magic touch for the Pittsburgh Penguins to pull victory from the jaws of defeat on Tuesday night, but that touch didn't come from anyone on their roster.

Sidney Crosby scored with 55.3 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it, then Evgeni Malkin capitalized on a turnover 58 seconds in overtime to give the Penguins a 5-4 win over the reeling New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Overtime may not have happened if not for a blunder by Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist tried to glove a puck out of the air but knocked it toward Crosby, creating a potential hand pass that would result in a whistle and the puck coming out of the Rangers' zone.

Shattenkirk, perhaps unaware of the impending call, touched the puck to wave off the hand pass. Crosby immediately backhanded the puck toward the net from behind the goal line, banking it off Henrik Lundqvist to even the score at 4.

"It was a little surprising," Lundqvist said of the bang-bang play that led to the goal. "I didn't expect that."

Lundqvist, who made 28 saves, probably didn't expect Malkin's goal either, as it was the result of another gaffe from behind the net.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh tried to make a long pass that would have created a two-on-one or breakaway, but the puck hit Phil Kessel at the left post. Kessel made a pass across to Malkin, who buried the puck into a gaping net.

"A costly mistake, obviously huge," McDonagh said. "I obviously let the team down in overtime."

The Penguins took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to goals by Kessel and Carl Hagelin, but the Rangers pushed back with three goals in the second period to take the lead.

Power-play goals by Pavel Buchnevich and J.T. Miller came after Crosby was assessed a double-minor for high sticking that turned the game toward the Rangers almost immediately.

Hornqvist pulled the Penguins into a 3-3 tie, however, with a power-play goal late in the second period.

Michael Grabner scored what looked like the deciding goal midway through the third period, but the resilient Penguins (4-2-1) sent the Rangers (1-5-1) to their worst start since the 1959-60 team opened 1-6.

"That power-play goal we got at the end of the second period was a huge goal," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "When you score in those situations, I think those types of moments are bigger than any statistical number or percentage that power plays come up with."

The goal didn't seem as big once Grabner scored and the Rangers were dominating territorially, something that wasn't lost on Crosby.

"We have to find a way to limit the other team's chances," he said. "It starts with trying to stay out of the box. We give them momentum when we do that.

"It's hard to keep everyone in the game and hard to get that momentum when you have to keep killing. So we have to find ways to do that a little bit better, then I think we'll give ourselves a little better chance to gain momentum. When these games happen, you have to respond the right way, and I thought we did that."

The Penguins have won four of five since losing their first two games of the season and did so despite giving the Rangers six power plays.

"We had some ups and downs in the game," Crosby said. "We started off good, lose the lead, give up there late and then climb our way back. Those games don't happen every night, but it's a good test when they happen. We responded the right way."

NOTES: Penguins D Ian Cole returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 7. He sustained facial injuries after being hit with a slap shot by Predators D Roman Josi. ... Penguins D Matt Hunwick (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve. ... Penguins C Evgeni Malkin left the game briefly in the third period with a hand injury after punching Rangers D Kevin Shattenkirk but returned. ... Rangers RW Adam Cracknell returned to the lineup after sitting as a healthy scratch Saturday. He replaced C Paul Carey. ... Rangers D Nick Holden and D Steven Kampfer were healthy scratches.
Top Game Performances
 
Pittsburgh   NY Rangers
Evgeni Malkin 4 Points J.T. Miller 3
Evgeni Malkin 1 Goals J.T. Miller 1
Evgeni Malkin 3 Assists J.T. Miller 2
Patric Hornqvist 1 Power Play Goals J.T. Miller 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Matthew Murray .875 Save Percentage Henrik Lundqvist .848
Matthew Murray 28 Saves Henrik Lundqvist 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Pittsburgh 33 5 1-3 4-6 16 29
NY Rangers 32 4 2-6 2-3 10 30
Upcoming Games
  • NY Rangers will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Rangers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .167 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Florida. The Penguins have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .500 after a loss.