PITTSBURGH — The Penguins had finally toppled the Shesterkin wall. Approximately 18,000 arms already ached from waving yellow rally towels endlessly. And the party seemed to just be starting inside PPG Paints Arena when Evan Rodrigues made it 4-1.
But when the buzzer sounded to end the second period Saturday, it looked as if the Penguins were about to throw away Game 3 – and maybe the whole series.
After blowing that lead, the Penguins buckled down in the third period, survived one of the NHL’s top power plays and grabbed back the lead when Danton Heinen scored the go-ahead goal with 8:58 left. They would hold on to beat the New York Rangers, 7-4, and take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
