Rookie center Kevin Hayes capped another gritty, difficult win for the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round with the biggest goal of his life.
Hayes scored 3:14 into overtime to lift the Rangers to a 2-1 victory in Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday at Consol Energy Center. The Penguins scored first for the first time in the series and generally dominated the opening 20 minutes, but the Rangers stayed close, regrouped and rallied. New York got a goal from Derick Brassard late in the second period, 22 saves from goalie Henrik Lundqvist, and Hayes' overtime winner to earn a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. All four games so far have been decided by one goal, including three 2-1 wins for New York. It's the first time the Rangers have won three games when scoring two or fewer goals in one Stanley Cup Playoff series since the 1928 Cup Final. Hayes felt fortunate that the puck even bounced to him for the game-winner. The play started when Keith Yandle rimmed the puck around the boards. It was played behind the net by Martin St. Louis, who curled around the right post with body position between the puck and Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy. St. Louis got the puck to Carl Hagelin, who fumbled it before kicking it to his backhand so he could pass it through the crease and under Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 22 saves. Fleury was down, and Hayes was able to knock it into the net. St. Louis and Hagelin said Wednesday morning that their line with Hayes in the middle had to deliver more. The Penguins obviously have plenty of work to do if they're going to get back in this series. They don't have to look hard for proof that it's possible to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. Pittsburgh had a 3-1 lead on New York in the second round last spring, but the Rangers wiped it away and won the series, limiting the Penguins to three goals over the final three games. They won two of the final three games on the road, which is exactly what the Penguins will have to do. The Rangers know how the Penguins can play when they push for offense. They did that in the third period of Game 3 and nearly erased a two-goal deficit before losing 2-1. They did it in the first period Wednesday and built a 1-0 lead while limiting the Rangers to two shots on goal. Patric Hornqvist scored 2:22 into the first period to give the Penguins the lead, but Lundqvist shut the door from there, including seven saves in the third period. Lundqvist said he expects the Penguins to bring their best in Game 5. The Rangers finally started doing that Wednesday approximately six minutes into the second period, when they were in the middle of killing a penalty. They finished the kill and got eight of the next 10 shots on goal in a span of less than eight minutes. New York had quality shot attempts from in tight by Mats Zuccarello, Dan Boyle, Hayes, St. Louis and Chris Kreider before Brassard scored his third goal of the series at 17:15 to tie the game. The Penguins got the start they wanted by getting the puck behind the Rangers defense twice on their first shift. They carried it over shift by shift throughout the first period, using their speed and forecheck to negate New York's speed and rush game. The Rangers didn't have a shot on goal until 11:35 of the first period, and it was a 56-foot slap shot by center Derek Stepan that barely made Fleury flinch.
Pens Quotes
Marc-Andre Fleury: "I felt it go through, under my arm pit. I didn't know there was a guy right there though."Sidney Crosby: "We should be loose and going after it [how the Penguins should approach Game 5]. You don't want to be tentative in games like that. You've gotta leave it all out there. That's really the only thing you can do: Go out there, be desperate and get it back here."
Mike Johnston: "We had them for four chances in the third period; we had them for one chance in the first period. We're playing the right way. Yeah, I know the results haven't swung in our favor 2-1, but they will."
Penalties
| 1st Period | ||
|---|---|---|
| 02:39 PIT | Steve Downie Interference against Ryan McDonagh | |
| 07:25 NYR | Derek Stepan Tripping against Ian Cole | |
| 11:37 PIT | Blake Comeau Hooking against Derek Stepan | |
| 17:58 NYR | Dominic Moore Roughing against Maxim Lapierre | |
| 2nd Period | ||
| 01:35 PIT | Ian Cole Boarding against Martin St. Louis | |
| 04:52 NYR | Dominic Moore Tripping against David Perron | |
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