Power plays help Rangers stay in series with Pens
5/10/2014PITTSBURGH — Derick Brassard scored twice, including New York's first power-play goal in 10 games, and the Rangers avoided elimination with a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Friday night.
Brassard ended New York's 0-for-36 slide with the man advantage by beating Marc-Andre Fleury late in the first period. Ryan McDonagh added another power-play goal in the second to help the Rangers force Game 6 in New York on Sunday.
Chris Kreider and Kevin Klein also scored, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots.
Fleury made 30 saves but lacked the crispness that allowed the Penguins to sweep Games 3 and 4 in New York.
Veteran forward Martin St. Louis arrived in Pittsburgh just hours before faceoff after spending the night in Montreal following the unexpected death of his mother, France.
St. Louis told his teammates his mother would have wanted him on the ice. He played 16 minutes and watched the line of Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, and Benoit Pouliot rediscover the success they enjoyed against Pittsburgh in the regular season and the series opener.
The linemates, who powered the Rangers to victory in Game 1, combined for seven points (two goals, five assists) to give New York a chance to buck team history. The Rangers have never rallied to win a series after trailing 3-1. Instead of panicking, they went out and executed against the decidedly sloppy Penguins, who didn't exactly look like the juggernaut who rolled to victory in the last two games at Madison Square Garden.