Penguins Report Card: Malkin Brilliance, Un-Special Teams Nightmare, Softies (+)

It was the goal a team fears its third goalie will give up. After allowing a softie to tie the game in the second period, Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Louis Domingue misplayed a long-range wrister. Domingue blockered Chris Krieder’s wrist-shot up into the air. It landed behind the goalie and rolled into the net.

A 2-0 lead, gone. A 3-1 series lead, gone. A Game 7 in New York awaits after the New York Rangers beat the Penguins 5-3 at PPG Paints Arena. Get Dave Molinari’s Penguins postgame here.

The Penguins have to pick up the pieces and prepare for Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

“I think it’s the only option, right? It’s either we feel sorry and come into the rink tomorrow and then kind of move around and head off to New York and see what happens in the game kind of thing. That doesn’t sound like a very fun option to me,” Mike Matheson said. “And I don’t think anybody in the dressing room feels that way. So the only option is just to park what happened …Game 7s are crazy games where anything can happen, and it’s up to us to bring our best and see what happens.”

In the first period, it looked good. Carter scored. Rust scored. Victory was again closer than defeat with a two-goal lead. Or perhaps the opposite is true.

Evgeni Malkin rose to the challenge with all of the marbles on the table. That was one takeaway that may give Penguins fans heart for Game 7. Otherwise, you may want to visit your cardiologist before Sunday. And really hope the game is played 5v5.

Pittsburgh Penguins Chalkboard and Report Cards: