Pittsburgh gave itself the right to make a mistake, with a pretty sensational win in three of the first four games of the series against the Rangers. In the fifth game hosted by the legendary Madison Square Garden, Evgeni Malkin’s team could have lost – they still had the opportunity to make it to the conference semifinals on their local ice. However, defeat is different, especially in the playoffs, where details determine a lot.
The main part of match five came in the middle of the second period when Jacob Truba slammed into one of the top scorers in this Stanley Cup draw and longtime Penguins leader Sidney Crosby. Hit didn’t look dirty, little Sid got up quickly, but grimaced for a long time from discomfort on the bench, then grabbed his shoulder and went to the dressing room. The Canadian did not return to the ice that evening.
As a result, Crosby’s injury split the match into two completely different parts. In the first, Pence confidently went for another and decisive victory: Jake Gunzel, who was unstoppable in this series, took a shot from behind the door,
and Evgeni Malkin assisted Chris Letang on a shot.
And in the second, it all fell apart – Rangers managed to turn 0:2 to 3:2 in 163 seconds. It is symbolic that the third goal from Artemy Panarin’s pass was scored by the same Truba, who left the opponent without one of the main striking forces.
After that, the hosts finished the “Penguins” with two goals in the third twenty-minute period – Czech Philip Chitil, who never differed in the NHL playoffs, recorded the victory at his own expense.
Yep, another on-hit hit by Malkin-assisted Gyuntsel, somewhere between the Blueshirts’ targets, was blocked, but nothing could change that. Crosby’s injury, who faced another youth in the current Stanley Cup, allowed the guests to blow the air – they eventually lost with a score of 3:5.
Now the real question is: how soon will Sydney be back on duty? It is clear that the damage could be quite serious, otherwise the captain would not have left the team almost as soon as they bought a ticket to the second round – a few days of rest and calm recovery were in the foreground. Instead, Pittsburgh needs to get a nosebleed in game six, or they’ll have to fly back to New York, where there’s no room for error. The episode featuring all things Truba and Crosby seems to be in danger of being a key to the entire series, not just the fifth game.
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