Letang Buries OT Winner In Pens Big Win Against Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers today 3-2 in overtime at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. 

Forward Jason Zucker scored in his fourth straight game, and forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each got two assists for the Pens, who improved to 34-22-10 on the season, and 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 27 saves for the win. 

Forwards Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow scored for the Rangers, who dropped to 37-19-10 after winning their last two games. This is also the third straight game the team has come back to force overtime. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 32 saves for the Rangers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently two points ahead of the New York Islanders for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are also six points behind the Rangers for third in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers are eight points behind the New Jersey Devils for second in the Metro.

Almost five minutes into the game, forward Vincent Trocheck was called for high-sticking, which gave the Penguins a 12-second five-on-three. Forty-six seconds later, forward Mika Zibenejad was called for high-sticking to give the Penguins another five-on-three. Just over six minutes into the first period, forward Rickard Rakell gave the Penguins the 1-0 lead off a one-timer from Crosby during the second five-on-three. This goal would give Crosby his 10th career 50+ assist season, which is only behind Mario Lemieux (11) for most in Penguins history. At 11:18, forward Jimmy Vesey fed Goodrow to tie the game up at 1-1 for the Rangers. 

Just over a minute into the second period, Zucker’s shot was deflected by Zibenejad to give the Penguins the 2-1 lead and his ninth goal in his past eight games. At 10:46, Penguins defenseman Dmitry Kulikov blocked a shot from Rangers forward Patrick Kane. He was slow to get up but continued to play during the second period. He did not play in the third period. 

Just over nine minutes into the third period, Kreider scored in the slot after receiving a feed from Trocheck. 

A minute and 38 seconds into overtime, defenseman Kris Letang scored on the power-play to give the Penguins the 3-2 win. He scored after receiving a feed from Malkin to get his third overtime goal of the season. Only two defensemen have scored more overtime goals in NHL history. He is behind Brent Burns and Scott Niedermayer, who has 16 and 13, respectively. 

The Penguins and Rangers play again on Thursday night and Saturday at Madison Square Garden in NYC. 

Stanley Cup Aspirations Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Stanley Cup Aspirations
  2. The Final Countdown
  3. Here Come the Playoffs
  4. Home Stretch
  5. Kevy Cooks

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Nik Shermeto

PT ‘23 | 🇺🇸/🇨🇦 | Penguins writer for Inside The Rink | Thoughts are my own.

Leave a Reply

Kashawn Aitcheson physicality

2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Kashawn Aitcheson

Kashawn Aitcheson is a 6-foot-1, 198-pound left-shot defenceman from Toronto, Ontario. Born on September 21st, 2006, Aitcheson narrowly missed the cutoff for the 2024 NHL Draft, and is one of the oldest prospects in the 2025 class. Aitcheson has spent the last three seasons with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. He was also selected […]

Read More
Stuart Skinner

Opinion: Oilers’ Stuart Skinner Showing Some Steadiness Between the Pipes

When it comes to Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, one never knows what they are going to get. On one hand, one might see a version of Skinner, 26, who stands tall, comes up with big saves, does not get out of position, and does not allow soft goals. When this version of Skinner is […]

Read More

3 Takeaways From The Florida Panthers & Carolina Hurricanes Game 5 | 05/28/2025

“Big players make big plays at the biggest moments when you need them too.” That’s what Sam Reinhart had to say about his captain, Sasha Barkov, in his post-game interview. The Cats rallied from a disappointing first period to score three unanswered goals in the second. The eventual game winner scored by Verhaeghe developed from […]

Read More