Washington: Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin scored one goal each and set up another to spark the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-2 National Hockey League play-off victory on Wednesday at Tampa Bay.
The Penguins, seeking their first NHL crown since 2009, seized a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, which continues on Friday in Florida.
The Penguins-Lightning survivor will face the Western Conference winner, either the San Jose Sharks or St. Louis Blues, in the Stanley Cup Final.
“We’re doing the right things,” said Penguins goaltender Matt Murray, who made 26 saves. “We’re trying to play fast, use our speed and make them have to play in a rush.”
Since dropping the series opener on home ice, the Penguins have bounced back with a hustle the Lightning have been unable to match.
“We just wanted to stick with it and raise our intensity level a little bit,” Murray said. “And that’s what we’ve done.”
Left wing Hagelin scored on a rebound with 10 seconds remaining in the second period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.
Playmaker Kessel forced a turnover and skated down the wing, then fired a shot off Tampa Bay goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The Russian made the save but Hagelin was in front of him for the rebound and the Swede swatted the puck into the net.
Pittsburgh outshot the Lightning 21-6 in the second period, dominating play before breaking through in the dying seconds.
Kessel doubled the Penguins’ lead 5:16 into the third period, the US right winger finding the net for his seventh goal of the play-offs.
“He has got an absolute missile [of a shot],” Murray said of Kessel. “You never know on which side it’s going to go and it’s coming quick.”
But only 14 seconds later, Tampa Bay finally solved Murray as Lightning centre Tyler Johnson pulled the hosts within 2-1 with 14:30 remaining.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby answered on a power-play goal with 9:10 remaining, the Canadian centre taking a pass from Evgeni Malkin and blasting a kneeling a quick one-touch shot high into the net, the puck knocking Vasilevskiy’s water bottle into the air as Pittsburgh seized a 3-1 edge.
Braydon Coburn’s penalty 57 seconds earlier for elbowing Pittsburgh’s Hagelin had given the Lightning the one-man disadvantage.
The Penguins weren’t finished as left wing Chris Kunitz flipped in an unassisted goal with 6:48 remaining.
Tampa Bay, who won their only NHL title in 2004, trimmed the final margin with 1:44 remaining on a goal by Czech left wing Ondrej Palat.
Vasilevskiy had 44 saves in a losing cause.
