Penguins score late to tie, beat Rangers in OT
NEW YORK -- Evgeni Malkin scored 58 seconds into overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a come-from-behind, 5-4 victory against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Sidney Crosby scored with 55.3 seconds remaining in regulation for the Penguins to force overtime, backhanding a puck from behind the goal line that bounced off goalie Henrik Lundqvist and into the net.
Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist also scored for the Penguins (4-2-1).
Penguins goaltender Matt Murray made 28 saves.
David Desharnais, Pavel Buchnevich, J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner had the Rangers' goals. Lundqvist stopped 28 shots for New York (1-5-1).
The Rangers are off to their worst start since 1959, when they opened 1-6-0.
It took just 43 seconds for Kessel to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh committed a turnover in the neutral zone, which allowed the Penguins to make a quick counterattack. Kessel released a wrist shot from the right wing off the rush that beat Lundqvist to the stick side.
Hagelin converted a two-on-one opportunity to extend the lead to 2-0 at 13:30 of the first. The winger carried the puck on the odd-man rush with Hornqvist but elected to shoot and fired a shot just under the crossbar to the glove side for his first goal of the season.
Desharnais cut the lead to 2-1 at 6:02 of the second period when his shot from the left circle deflected off a Penguins stick and went over Murray's catching glove.
Crosby was assessed a double minor for high sticking 29 seconds later, allowing the Rangers to pull ahead. Buchnevich one-timed a pass from Mika Zibanejad to tie the game at 7:32, then Miller's goal at 8:32 through a screen put the Rangers ahead 3-2.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Hornqvist evened the score at 3 with a power-play goal at 18:01 of the second. Kessel was able to freeze Lundqvist and fire a hard pass that Hornqvist deflected past Lundqvist to send the game to the third period tied.
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.