PITTSBURGH — The Penguins dressed 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders Tuesday night for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers.
If I had ranked potential heroes going into what became a 4-3 Penguins win in triple overtime, Louis Domingue would have been No. 20.
Tell me you saw Domingue making 17 saves after replacing injured Casey DeSmith midway through the second overtime, and I'll tell you are lying.
But that's what Domingue, who played in just two NHL games this season, did as he took his place among Penguins backup goaltending legends Frank Pietrangelo, Johan Hedberg, Jeff Zatkoff and Matt Murray.
Domingue's performance, along with Evgeni Malkin's deflection of a John Marino shot for the winning goal at 5:58 of the third overtime, made for the most unlikely of finishes and got the Penguins off to a fast start with a road win against a team that had beaten them three times in four games during the regular season. Significant? You bet. A team that won Game 1 has gone on to win 68.6% of series, according to the NHL.
Beyond that, it's fair to wonder what this loss will take out of the Rangers. They looked on in disbelief after Malkin's game-winner. It's one thing to lose. It's another thing to blow 2-0 and 3-2 leads, play much of the night and lose at home.
To a third-string goaltender, no less.
Domingue might have been a surreal star, but the Penguins had plenty of others. DeSmith was terrific in his first career post-season start. Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust came to life, Crosby after a long playoff slump and Rust after a dreadful finish to the regular season. Jake Guentzel was Jake Guentzel. Kris Letang played a mind-numbing 46:41. Even Kasperi Kapanen showed up.
I just hated to see the game end.
I wish the two teams could have played all night.
I'm not sure there will be a more entertaining game all spring.
This one had everything.
Controversy?
The Rangers had every right to think they won the game at 16:50 of the third period on a goal by Filip Chytil. But a replay review after Mike Sullivan challenged for goaltender interference took the goal away. The replay officials ignored that Brian Dumoulin pushed Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko into DeSmith. It should have been a goal, and the Penguins should have had to kill a two-minute delay-of-game penalty for a failed challenge.
Don't feel too bad for the Rangers, though. They benefitted from replay late in the first period when officials decided on a two-minute roughing penalty on Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren after he nearly took off Rickard Rakell's head with a high hit. Lindgren, who left his feet, should have been given a five-minute charging major. Rakell didn't return to the game, making the Penguins' effort the rest of the way that much more impressive down a forward.
Hitting?
That hit by Lindgren was one of just 43 by the Rangers, who had a surreal 19 in the first period alone. Ryan Reaves had more hard hits — eight in all — than Devin Bush had all of last football season. Reaves tried, almost single-handedly, to knock the Penguins out of the game. Literally, knock them out.
But a careless hit by defenseman Jacob Trouba on Guentzel late in the second period sabotaged the Rangers moments after a short-handed goal by Chris Kreider had given them a 3-2 lead. Trouba's two-minute boarding penalty led to Rust's game-tying, 5-on-3 goal just 1:23 after Kreider's goal.
Who saw that coming, even with a two-man advantage? The Penguins came in 2 for 31 on the power play in their previous 13 games.
Great plays?
How about Guentzel's two goals, the first on a chip-in, the second on a beauty of wrist shot? He has 28 goals in 52 career playoff games. No wonder Sullivan called him "a superstar" last week.
How about Crosby's assists on each of Guentzel's goals? The second was especially terrific, a backhanded pass to Guentzel, who was screaming down the slot. The two points equaled Crosby's total in the six-game, first-round series last season when they were eliminated by the New York Islanders.
How about Malkin's winning goal tip-in and his pass that led to the easy tap-in goal for Rust? Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin had no chance on either goal. Do you think Rust appreciated Malkin's assist? He didn't score a point, let alone a goal, in the final nine regular-season games. He had to sleep well Tuesday night after also picking up secondary assists on Guentzel's goals.
Great goaltending?
You knew you were going to get it from the amazing Shesterkin, who led the NHL in goals-against average (2.07) and save percentage (.935) during the regular season. He stopped 79 of the Penguins' playoff-record 83 shots. Eight of those shots were by Kapanen, who nearly won the game late in the second overtime.
But DeSmith was just as strong as Shesterkin. He had 48 saves before having to leave the game. Playoff debuts just don't come any better.
Playoff games don't come any better.
