Rangers' Hayes scores OT winner to put Penguins on the brink
Kevin Hayes pounced on a loose puck and scored early in overtime, giving the New York Rangers a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
The victory gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. All three of New York's victories have come by a 2-1 margin.
Star Performer: Hayes scored his first career playoff goal, putting the Penguins on the brink of elimination with the series headed back to New York for Game 5 on Friday night.
#NYR @KevinPHayes12 gets the Broadway Hat!! #13 makes it 13 to go!! pic.twitter.com/3YEu1Eveqv
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 23, 2015
Turning Point: The Penguins opened the scoring and controlled the first period, but the Rangers came out firing after the intermission and Derick Brassard tied the contest with 2:45 left in the second period.
Goalie Comparison: Neither Henrik Lundqvist nor Marc-Andre Fleury faced a heavy workload, and neither can really be faulted or credited for the result.
| Goalie | Shots | GA | Saves | SV % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lundqvist | 23 | 1 | 22 | .957 |
| Fleury | 24 | 2 | 22 | .917 |
Top Highlight: Patric Hornqvist scored the first goal of the game early in the first period, tipping a Ben Lovejoy shot past Lundqvist less than three minutes in.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Stat of the Night: The Rangers made some history with the win, albeit not of the most flattering variety.
First time #NYR have won 3 playoff games in one series when scoring 2 or fewer goals since the 1928 Finals against the Montreal Maroons
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 23, 2015
Series at a Glance:
Game 1: Rangers 2, Penguins 1
Game 2: Penguins 4, Rangers 3
Game 3: Rangers 2, Penguins 1
Game 4: Rangers 2, Penguins 1 (OT)
Game 5: Friday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET
Game 6*: Sunday, April 26, TBA
Game 7*: Tuesday, April 28, TBA
*If necessary