Penguins force Game 7 in East
Pittsburgh takes a 3-0 lead and wins on the road as Crosby has a goal and an assist.
Sidney Crosby has a goal and an assist and Pittsburgh goes on the road to defeat Tampa Bay, 5-2.
TAMPA, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Penguins made good on Evgeni Malkin’s pledge to force Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final.
Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist, and Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Nick Bonino also scored Tuesday night in a 5-2 victory that evened the best-ofseven series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-3.
Game 7 is Thursday night, with the Penguins hoping to reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2009 and the Lightning looking to advance to the Cup final for the second straight year.
“I just told them to embrace the moment. It’s a great opportunity for us. These are the type of circumstances to where you have an opportunity to write your own story,” Pittsburgh Coach Mike Sullivan said.
Malkin was the most demonstrative of the players expressing confidence the Penguins could take the series back to Pittsburgh, saying he believed in himself and his teammates and that they could return home for a seventh game “for sure.”
Crosby stepped up with his third game-winning goal of the series as the Penguins took a 3-0 lead in the final minute of the second period.
“We know the circumstances. It makes you go out there with a mind-set of playing desperate,” Crosby said. “I think we had confidence in the whole group. I think everyone played great.”
Rookie goaltender Matt Murray returned to the lineup after being replaced as the starter for Game 5 by Marc-Andre Fleury, but his 10th playoff victory did not come without a bit of suspense as the Lightning drew within one goal with 7:17 remaining.
Instead of flinching, the young goalie, who turns 22 on Wednesday, retained his composure down the stretch to help the Penguins avoid relinquishing a third-period lead for the second straight game.