Lightning vs. Penguins: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

Sidney Crosby picked the perfect time to snap his eight-game goalless streak. His goal 40 seconds into overtime gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final to tie the series at a game apiece Monday.

The Penguins took to Twitter after the home-ice victory:

It was also Crosby's first career postseason overtime goal, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and any talk about the Hart Trophy finalist not coming through in the clutch was put to rest, per the Penguin Brain:

Andrei Vasilevskiy, in relief of starting goaltender Ben Bishop (leg), recorded 38 saves on 41 shots and was solid in the final two frames of regulation, but it took only three shots on Vasilevskiy for Pittsburgh to win the game in overtime.

The NHL reacted to the sudden ending:

After being stretchered off in Game 1, Bishop did not start Monday. The 21-year-old Vasilevskiy was in between the pipes, and the Penguins made it a mission early on to be aggressive offensively.

It took only eight seconds for the Penguins to get their first scoring opportunity. Left winger Chris Kunitz took the puck from the opening faceoff and had a clear shot at the goal, but Vasilevskiy made the stop. 

Pittsburgh continued its aggressive attack and got on the board four minutes later on a rebound by Matt Cullen in front of the net. Here's the replay, via the NHL:

It was Cullen's fourth goal of the playoffs, and he continues to be a bargain for Pittsburgh, as Adam Vingan of the Tennessean pointed out:

Five minutes later, the Penguins added to their lead with another aggressive sequence. Phil Kessel corralled a loose puck and fired it past Vasilevskiy for the early two-goal lead:

After Tampa Bay weathered the storm, the Lightning settled down and responded in a major way. Defenseman Anton Stralman, who had been out since March with a broken leg, found the net for the first time in the postseason off a great pass from Jonathan Marchessault:

Stralman's scoring has been limited this year, but he's done some damage against the Penguins, as Steve Mears of the NHL Network pointed out:

With less than a minute to go in the frame, Lightning left winger Jonathan Drouin continued his stellar postseason play by firing the game-tying goal past Penguins goalie Matt Murray:

Drouin has found the perfect time to make an impact on the ice, as these numbers indicate, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The fireworks were evident after the first 20 minutes of play, but the high-octane offense simmered in the second period. Both squads looked timid and were not as aggressive as they were in the prior period.

Scott Burnside of ESPN.com gave one prime example as to how calm the second period was:

Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also felt the game took a slow turn after the first frame:

The third period saw more of the same, but there was some late action down the stretch. Both Murray and Vasilevskiy made crucial saves in the final two minutes to stretch this game into overtime. Despite Pittsburgh having a 41-21 shot advantage, the Penguins couldn't find a way to consistently solve Vasilevskiy.

But when it mattered the most, the Penguins' superstar came through. Tied 1-1 in the series, Pittsburgh will head to Tampa Bay for Game 3 on Wednesday with its stud regaining his confidence.

The Lightning let the game get away from them despite coming back from two goals down. Playing without Bishop could be a normal occurrence in the series, and Tampa Bay will need to acclimate. The Lightning will return to their home fans knowing they missed out on a chance to seize a 2-0 lead.

Postgame Reaction

With Crosby trailing the play that led to the game-winning goal, Sid the Kid said he needed to yell at Bryan Rust just so he saw him.

"I tried to let him know I was there," Crosby said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Crosby's goal was the first since Game 4 in the first round against the New York Rangers, and with the Penguins jumping out to a two-goal lead early on, Crosby felt this was overdue for his team.

"It feels good to get rewarded," Crosby said, per the AP. "I feel we deserved it tonight."

Despite that early-ending goal, Vasilevskiy teammates still praised him, including center Brian Boyle, for the effort in relief of Bishop, per Bryan Burns of TampaBayLightning.com:

"He was outstanding," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said, per the AP. "You never want to lose your No. 1 guy in (Bishop) but...[Vasilevskiy] was probably the reason why the game went to overtime in the first place."

But this goal will loom large for Pittsburgh going forward, knowing it's the difference between a 1-1 and 2-0 series.

"[Crosby] worked hard all game," Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin said, per the AP. "He played right, and it was a tough game. He's our leader and we believe in him and we believe in everyone here."