Penguins vs. Rangers: Game 5 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

Of course Friday's Game 5 between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins ended with a 2-1 score.

New York ended the Penguins' season with yet another 2-1 victory in their Stanley Cup playoffs series. The Rangers won by the same 2-1 tally in all four of their series victories, although they needed overtime to do it Friday.

New York's Henrik Lundqvist was excellent with 37 saves on 38 shots, although Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury was nearly as brilliant with 34 saves on 36 shots. Ultimately, Carl Hagelin beat Fleury for the game-winning goal in overtime.

Derek Stepan also scored for New York in the first period, while Nick Spaling found the back of the net in the second period for Pittsburgh's lone goal.

Despite the 3-1 advantage in the series, the Rangers were particularly concerned with their power-play efficiency coming into Game 5. They were a dismal 2-of-17 in the first four contests and struggled to create quality looks.

It was only fitting, then, that New York took an early 1-0 lead in the first period on a power-play goal. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News described the play:

Rangers associate coach Scott Arniel discussed what his team needed to do on the power play on the morning of the game, and it apparently took his words to heart, per Leonard: “We want that shot, but they’re doing such a good job of getting in the lanes, sometimes it’s about making that one extra pass.” 

New York took the 1-0 lead into the locker rooms after the first period, but Pens Inside Scoop and Seth Rothman of InsideHockey.com both noted that it could have been worse without the efforts of Fleury:

The Rangers received some unfortunate news at the start of the second period about Mats Zuccarello, per Jim Cerny of NHL.com:

New York continued to apply pressure in the second period and peppered the Pittsburgh defense with attacking opportunities. Josh Yohe of the Tribune-Review pointed out that one man was keeping the Penguins in the game:

Pittsburgh finally established some offensive momentum of its own in the middle of the second period, but Lundqvist did his best stone wall impersonation, as Yohe and Pens Inside Scoop described: 

The Penguins finally broke through late in the second period and tied the game. The goal was reviewed but upheld, and Andrew Gross of The Record noted that it felt like a matter of time before Pittsburgh erased the shutout:

The Penguins established control at the start of the third period and created a power-play chance. While the crowd was not pleased, Rothman acknowledged that Pittsburgh earned the opportunity:

Sidney Crosby nearly gave his team the lead, but he ringed the crossbar with a shot off a beautiful one-timer pass. The Penguins controlled the tempo for the majority of the third period. However, Lundqvist repeatedly turned away Pittsburgh's looks in front of the net.

Both goaltenders continued their brilliance throughout the third period and sent the game into overtime. Leonard thought that was good news for the Rangers considering they won three of the first four games 2-1: 

The incredible performances from Fleury and Lundqvist extended into the overtime period, as every offensive opportunity was turned away. Pens Inside Scoop expressed what plenty of hockey fans were thinking in the white-knuckled moments: 

Unfortunately for Fleury, he got the underserved loss. Hagelin created his own opportunity from behind the net, skated out front and buried a wrist shot past Fleury nearly 11 minutes into overtime.

The Rangers Report noted that it felt like an appropriate finish:

What's Next?

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Penguins' season is over, but the Rangers now get the opportunity to pick up critical rest before the second round.

New York will play the winner of the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders series. Washington leads the Islanders 3-2 through five games and is a single victory from setting up a chance at the other New York team.

If Washington finishes the Islanders, the Rangers should feel confident. New York beat the Capitals in three of the four regular-season matchups and will have home-ice advantage as well.