Penguins rally, lose in OT
NEW YORK – Kevin Klein, bloodied earlier by a high stick that ripped off part of his ear, fired in a slap shot 3:45 into overtime to give the New York Rangers a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.
Klein, a defenseman showing off his offensive skills recently, scored for the second straight game and for the sixth time this season, a career-high. He rescued the Rangers, who blew a 3-1 lead late in the third period when Pittsburgh scored twice in 24 seconds to tie it.
Part of Klein’s left ear was severed and reattached during the game, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.
Rick Nash broke a second-period tie with his sixth goal in eight games, and Henrik Lundqvist returned to the net with 32 saves for New York.
Nash and J.T. Miller scored in the middle period to turn a one-goal deficit into a lead, and Kevin Hayes made it 3-1 with 7:02 left in the third. Lundqvist earned his third win in his past five appearances after sitting out New York’s 3-2 loss at Detroit Saturday.
Nick Spaling staked Pittsburgh to a 1-0 lead in the first period, and Evgeni Malkin and Steve Downie scored in rapid succession in the third. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots for the Penguins, who have dropped two of three overall and two of three to the Rangers this season.
Malkin started the comeback with his 15th goal at 15:17, and Downie tied it with his fourth after Rangers defenseman Marc Staal couldn’t handle a bouncing puck. Downie also assisted on Spaling’s goal.
Pittsburgh wore its old-school, black-and-gold uniforms but fell to 9-2-2 on the road. New York earned a point in eight of the last nine regular-season meetings with the Penguins (5-1-3).
The Rangers finished the first period and started the second on the power play, thanks to a 4-minute high-sticking penalty on Zach Hill that caused Klein’s cut.
New York didn’t take advantage of the long power play, but tallied the tying and go-ahead goals 4:50 apart to take a 2-1 lead.
After Lundqvist made a save on a short-handed breakaway early in the second, the Rangers seemed to gain their legs and energy.
Miller tied it 1-all off a feed from Martin St. Louis at 3:50 of the second for his second of the season. Nash put New York in front at 8:40 with his 18th goal – the second-most in the NHL.
Pittsburgh grabbed a 1-0 lead with 7:25 left in the first when Sidney Crosby set up Spaling with a cross-zone pass that was converted into a rising shot for Spaling’s fourth goal.
Crosby has gone seven games without a goal and has just one in his last 10 games. However, he leads the NHL with 26 assists in 27 games this season.