Penguins vs. Rangers: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins overcame seven New York Rangers power plays, Sidney Crosby overcame his playoff scoring woes and the Penguins not only overcame a 1-0 deficit in Game 2 but also in the series, beating the Rangers 4-3 at Madison Square Garden to even things up at a game apiece in their first-round tilt. 

Crosby was the hero in this contest, scoring two goals, while Chris Kunitz added a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh. Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard and Rick Nash all scored for the Rangers, who could only capitalize once on the power play, despite the Penguins giving them plenty of man advantages. 

The Penguins put forth a gutty defensive effort, blocking 20 shots, and were more clinical with their chances, as the Rangers outshot them, 26-22. They also seemed to simply want it more on the night, as Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News noted:

Adam Gretz of CBS Sports added:

And Bob Pompeani of KDKA TV had a hard time picking just three stars for the Penguins:

Mike Johnston added more on what it took to win the game, per the team's Twitter feed:

In a first period that didn't include a ton of shots on goal (the Penguins outshot the Rangers, 5-3) or scoring chances—the first 17 minutes didn't offer many highlights—Stepan provided the game's first goal at the 17:05 mark.

And it was a beauty. 

With the Penguins changing lines, Stepan tracked back defensively and started the play. He rushed down the right side of the ice and sneaked behind Pittsburgh's defense, where J.T. Miller found him on the right circle with a brilliant cross-ice pass. Stepan did the rest, firing a laser beam of a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury. 

The finish certainly impressed Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports:

"

That was about as much of a snipe as you’ll find. What a freaking terrific shot by Stepan off of the Miller pass.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) April 19, 2015"

Ryan McDonagh was also credited with an assist. 

But the Penguins took over in the second period.

Brandon Sutter scored the equalizer on the power play at the 10:01 mark off a scramble in front of the net. After one shot went waywardly off the boards and a Penguins player blocked another, the puck found its way to Sutter from several feet away, who quickly buried his shot into a gaping net. 

It was plays like the one Sutter made on that goal that continue to impress folks such as David Strehle of The Fourth Period:

Steve Downie and Kunitz were credited with the assists.

The Penguins would follow with another sloppy goal minutes later. Henrik Lundqvist stopped Patric Hornqvist's initial shot on the rush, but Crosby was ready on mop-up duty, putting his backhanded effort into the net and giving the Penguins the 2-1 lead. 

NBC Sports provided the highlight:

With less than two minutes remaining, the Penguins capped off their epic period. The Rangers failed to clear the zone, and Kunitz hit Crosby with a perfect centering feed. The superstar, who was falling as he shot the puck, didn't miss and gave the Penguins a 3-1 advantage.

Paul Martin also assisted on the play.

Crosby, who has had some struggles in recent playoff appearances, certainly put an end to that slump, as ESPN Stats & Info tweeted:

The Penguins (11) and Rangers (10) each notched double-digit shots in the period, though the Rangers didn't make their chances count.

They changed that in the third period.

After another unnecessary penalty by the Penguins early in the third, the Achilles' heel of the team, the Rangers were finally able to capitalize on their sixth man advantage of the game. Seven shots into the power play, Brassard scooped up a rebound off a Mats Zuccarello shot and calmly ripped the puck into the open net to cut the deficit in half. 

But the Penguins, the most penalized team during the regular season, quickly notched their own power-play goal after conceding one. Kunitz continued his excellent night, this time expertly scooping a rebound off Sutter's drive to the net and shot on goal before flipping a backhand over Lundqvist's shoulder. 

Nash would add a goal with seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late for the Rangers. 

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The series now heads back to Pittsburgh for the next two games, with the Penguins having seized home-ice advantage. With Crosby rediscovering his postseason scoring touch, the Penguins are certainly a team to be reckoned with, though their habit of giving up silly penalties could continue to hamper them going forward. 

The Rangers will certainly be gunning for them in Game 3, and Lundqvist in particular should be on his game after giving up four goals in this contest. Given how tight this series has been, it wouldn't be shocking if this one ended up going the full seven games.