The Pittsburgh Penguins are heating up at just the right time, and Saturday’s 6-5 win over the New York Rangers was another statement in a growing collection. Powered by two-goal performances from Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari, the Penguins extended their win streak to six games-and did it in front of some familiar faces from their 2016 Stanley Cup squad, who were honored during the game’s prelude.
Mantha and Acciari wasted no time setting the tone. They each beat Rangers netminder Jonathan Quick twice in a span of just over three minutes early in the first period, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats. Mantha added a second tally in the middle frame, a tap-in that made it 3-0 and underscored just how opportunistic this Penguins team has become.
But the real backbreaker for the Rangers came early in the third period. Acciari and Rickard Rakell scored just 20 seconds apart, stretching the lead to 5-1 and sending PPG Paints Arena into a frenzy.
Rakell’s goal, his 10th of the season, came with some historical weight too-Erik Karlsson picked up the secondary assist, marking his 700th career helper. That milestone puts Karlsson in elite company: he’s just the 12th defenseman in NHL history to reach that mark, and every other member of that club is enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
While the Penguins seemed to be in cruise control through much of the game, the third period turned into more of a rollercoaster than they’d hoped. Goaltender Stuart Skinner, who’s been red-hot lately with an 8-1 record in his last nine starts, nearly saw a comfortable lead slip away. The Rangers mounted a furious rally, with Alexis Lafreniere scoring twice and Vincent Trocheck, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Will Cuylle each chipping in goals to bring New York within one.
But ultimately, the comeback fell short, and the Rangers dropped to 2-10 since losing star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to a lower-body injury. Without their Vezina-caliber netminder, New York has struggled to find its footing, and Saturday was another example of a team that just couldn’t keep pace until it was too late.
Adding another layer to the afternoon’s narrative was Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan, who returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since leaving the Penguins last summer. Sullivan, of course, was behind the bench for the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017. But on this day, he watched his new squad get outplayed for long stretches by a Penguins team that’s starting to look like a legitimate threat in the East.
Pittsburgh now sits alone in second place in the Metropolitan Division, a spot that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. And they’re doing it without longtime anchor Kris Letang, who’s out for at least a month with a fractured left foot. Letang, wearing a protective boot, was on hand for the pregame celebration of the 2016 championship team-a reminder of the franchise’s winning pedigree and the resilience that continues to define it.
Up Next:
- Rangers: They'll get a few days to regroup before hosting the Hurricanes on Thursday night in their final game before the Olympic break.
- Penguins: They'll look to keep the momentum rolling Monday night when Ottawa comes to town.