Playoff hockey is here, and it is indeed quite another animal. Such an example was witnessed first-hand last night at Madison Square Garden.
In Game 1 of the first round between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, a wild clash on the ice ensued as the Rangers scored in the first period, and then added on another one in the second period. However, the Penguins would come back to tie the game, and in the third period, controversy reared its ugly head.
After the Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko crashed into the net and Penguins’ goaltender Casey DeSmith, Filip Chytil slapped the puck into the net, giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead with 3:10 to go in the period. However, after a review, the incident was deemed “goaltender interference” and the goal was wiped off the board, which led to the sold-out arena turning red-hot against the referees (which included obscene chants).
Did the Rangers get screwed over? Goal overturned for goalie interference…. pic.twitter.com/rbEgK7gyBO
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 4, 2022
Since the game was tied 3-3, it ended up going into overtime. And after neither team scored in overtime, the game went into a double overtime. And after neither team scored in the second overtime, the game went into – yes – a triple overtime (six periods)! At that point, both teams were exhausted, and after Rangers’ star goalie Igor Shesterkin made a record 79 saves, it was not enough, for Pittsburgh scored in the third overtime, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.
“Great game by two teams,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. “I thought the first 25 minutes we were really good and dominated that part of the game, and then they came back in the second and they played really well after that, too. So, it was one of those game and obviously three overtime periods, it’s tough to lose like that but you get back on the horse and get ready for the next game.”
The Penguins take game one in TRIPLE OVERTIME 🤯 @br_openice pic.twitter.com/diahCI1YHp
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 4, 2022
“It’s tough, obviously,” Rangers’ Ryan Strome said. “You want those calls to go your way. The game happens so fast, obviously he’s not trying to run into the goalie or anything. I thought it was a call that could go either way. It is what it is. To look back on something like that now, it was a three-overtime game, so you can look back on many small plays during the game.”
The Rangers will look to bounce back tomorrow night at the Garden, to tie the series at 1-1, while the Penguins will look to capitalize on the Rangers’ defeat and take a 2-0 series lead. What is certain is that both teams hope the next game will not last five hours, like this one did.
What did you think of the wild game, and the controversial call in the third period? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
