Pittsburgh Penguins handled Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2: NHL Play-off Recap
Tyler Kennedy lit the lamp with the game-winning goal in the final session to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 3-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference quarter-finals, at St. Pete Times Forum on Monday night.
Maxime Talbot and Arron Asham both also hit the net for Pittsburgh, which has won six consecutive contests and 10 of its previous 11 overall. Pittsburgh is looking to extend its lead in Game 4 Wednesday in Tampa Bay. Marc-Andre Fleury turned away 25
shots after allowing four goals on 20 shots in Pittsburgh’s drop in Game 2 on Friday.
Martin St. Louis found the back of the net twice for Tampa Bay, which got 27 saves from Dwayne Roloson, who was unable to keep Pittsburgh off the board early.
The Penguins took command of the play early, by jumping out to a 2-0 edge in a 45 seconds span the first period.
The first goal came less than 8:14 minutes into the first period, when Talbot quickly skated up ice and fired a shot through traffic from above the right circle for 1-0 lead.
The second goal came just 6 ½ minutes into the opening period. The play was set up by Michael Rupp, who sent a nice cross-ice pass through the pads of sliding Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina to the left side, where Asham buried the puck into the
net with a one-timer.
"To get those quick goals early, those were big," said Fleury. "It helps to play with a lead coming into this building. It helped me settle down a bit."
Tampa Bay cut the deficit in half, 2-1, with less than five minutes left in the opening period. It happened so when Penguins’ Alex Kovalev went off for goalie interference and appeared to be cross-checked into Roloson and Tampa Bay took advantage,
as St. Louis cleverly used his skate and blasted a back-hander past Fleury in close on the right side.
The middle session remained goal-less as Roloson stopped nine shots and Fleury made six saves. However, St. Louis struck again for a 2-2 deadlock over two minutes into the final period, as he unleashed a wrist-shot from the bottom of the right circle
and scrambling Fleury was unable to get back in time.
"They're tough to beat. We also know they're 29th in the league on comebacks in the third period," said Tampa Bay head coach Guy Boucher. "Obviously the team that has the lead going into the third has some sort of an advantage, but as you saw, we came
back. We came back from two goals."
Kennedy restored the Penguins’ one-goal edge, 3-2, in the third period, as he jumped on a loose puck after a long shot and rifled a shot through a mass of down players at the other end of the ice.
"I like the way his line played tonight with Kunitz and Staal," said Pittsburgh's Head Coach, Dan Bylsma. "Kennedy had some good chances tonight and again just going out steadying that shift with his play tonight. He also brings a threat winning the
faceoffs, going to the net and adding an offensive punch when we needed it."
Pittsburgh then killed a roughing penalty on Rupp, late in the third period, when Rupp was whistled for holding Tampa Bay's forward, Ryan Malone, down in the Penguins’ crease.
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