The Penguins shone with the Rangers in Game 2

NEW YORK (AP) – Artemiy Panarin and Frank Vatran scored two assists and two assists each, while the New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in the second game on Thursday night, making them the best of the seven series of the first round.

Chris Rider, Andrew Cop and Ryan Strom also scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin made 39 saves in two nights after 79 throws in a triple defeat in overtime in the first game.

Sidney Crosby scored the goal and the assist, and Jake Henzel also scored for the Penguins. Louis Domingue, who took office after replacing the injured Casey DeSmith in the second overtime of the first game, finished with 34 saves.

Game 3 Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

When the Rangers led 3-2 in 40 minutes, the Penguins came out strong in the third period with the first nine shots on goal. Shasterkin stopped Brian Rust’s hint and then made a save in the jump to deny Eugene Malkin a slap in the face in the first minute of the period. Shesterkin also stopped Gunzel’s slap for 3 1/2 minutes and then nearly 30 seconds later repulsed Crosby’s deflection.

Panarin then increased the lead to 4-2 when his central pass from behind the goal line repulsed Penguins defender Mike Mathison and passed Domingue at 8:02.

Vatrana put the Rangers ahead by three goals when he bypassed Matheson in the right circle, drove in and beat Domingue on the right post at 9:49.

Shesterkin was lying on the ice for minutes after colliding with Jeff Carter of Pittsburgh when the goalkeeper tried to return to his position from outside the goal when there were about two minutes left.

The Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the game early in the second period when Adam Fox’s kick through movement was repulsed by Strom ahead and through Domingue’s skates at 2:59 p.m.

A few minutes later, the “Penguins” rushed in a wondrous jerk, but the mouth made a throw away from the sides, and Crosby from an acute angle on the left side on the rebound repulsed Shesterkin. This caused the Madison Square Garden crowd, which has been roaring since Strom’s goal, to explode chanting “I-gor! I-gor!”

Crader increased the Rangers’ lead to 3-1. He deflected Frank Vatran’s point shot past Domingue and scored his second goal of the series – 7:54.

Crosby pulled the Penguins in one jerk when he scored from the middle on Brian Rust’s rebound with a 1:26 backhander in the midfield.

The Rangers outscored the Penguins 14-11 in the fast and physical first period.

The cop again became first on the scoreboard when he received a pass from Panarin and quickly punched Dominguez from the inside edge of the right circle at 6:50 p.m. It was his second goal in a series.

Gunzel leveled it in his third series after the Rangers turned in the neutral zone. Gunzel got a rebound from Marcus Peterson’s shot ahead and made a slap past Shesterkin at 8:52.

MILESTONES

Gunzel scored his 29th career goal of the season, leveling with Boston’s Brad Marchand in third place since 2017. Only Braden Point of Tampa Bay (37) and Alex Ovechkin of Washington (30) have more time. … Crosby’s transfer to Gunzel’s goal in the first period gave him 125 points to overtake Sergei Fedorov (124) to eighth place in the NHL list. Crosby lags behind Yari Kura (127) in seventh place. … Crader played in his 82nd game after the season, leveling Brian Litch in eighth place in franchise history. … Crader’s goal gave him 42 career playoff points, leaving Jean Rattel 14th in the franchise’s history.

SAID

Rangers D. Ryan Lindgren (lower body injury) and F. Barclay Goodrow (undetected injury) dropped out. Lindgren was a decision at the time of the game, but did not play. They were replaced by D Justin Brown and L. W. Dryden Hunt.

The Penguins did not have R. W. Ricardo Raquel, who left in the first period of Game 1, and D. Brian Dumoulin. L. W. Drew O’Connor and D. Mark Friedman returned to the lineup. LV Jason Zucker (lower body injury) took part in the warm-up before the game but did not play.