Rookie forward Bryan Rust scored a pair of second-period goals and Matt Murray stopped 16 shots to lift Pittsburgh to a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night, sending the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009.
Pittsburgh will host Western Conference champion San Jose in Game 1 of the final on Monday night.
Jonathan Drouin scored his fifth goal of the playoffs for the Lightning and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 37 saves, but it was not enough to send Tampa Bay back to the final for a second straight year.
Photo: AFP
In a building littered with stars, it was the relentlessness of 24-year-old Rust and the steadiness of 22-year-old goaltender Matt Murray that provided the difference.
“I’m in that mode where I’m getting the bounces and the breaks right now,” Rust said.
The Penguins rallied from a 3-2 deficit by controlling the final two games of the best-of-seven series, winning 5-2 in Tampa Bay in Game 6, then backing it up with what coach Mike Sullivan said “might have been the most complete 60-minute effort we had.”
In disarray in December last year when Sullivan took over for Mike Johnston, the Penguins have sprinted through April and this month and will head into next month with a chance to win the franchise’s fourth cup, one that would serve as a bookend to its last triumph seven years ago when stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were still in their early 20s.
They are older now and undaunted by a series of post-season failures that made it seem the window of their primes was closing. Yet here they are after dispatching the New York Rangers in five games, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in six and the defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning in seven.
“They played better hockey than us the whole series,” said Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman, who lost a Game 7 for the first time after starting his career 7-0 when pushed to the limit.
Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos had two shots in 11 minutes, 55 seconds in his return from a two-month layoff while dealing with blood clots.
Pittsburgh had dropped five straight Game 7s at home, including a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay in 2011 in a series Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missed due to injury.
That loss had become symbolic of the franchise’s post-season shortcomings following that gritty run to the cup in 2009 that culminated with a Game 7 win in Detroit that was supposed to be the launching pad of a dynasty.
Seven years later, with an entirely new cast around mainstays Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins have returned to the league’s biggest stage.
“We’ve always believed in one another,” Crosby said. “Trying to get back, it’s not easy. The biggest challenge is ahead of us. We have to finish it off the right way.”
Vasilevskiy, a revelation while filling in for injured Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop, spent most of the night facing barrage after barrage as Pittsburgh controlled the puck and the pace of play for long stretches.
The Penguins finally broke through behind Rust, who managed all of five goals in 55 regular-season games, a total he has matched in just 17 games during the post-season. He gave the Penguins the lead 1:55 into the second when he raced down the slot, took a feed from Kunitz and beat Vasilevskiy over his glove.
Drouin’s fourth goal of the series tied it at 9:36 of the second, a wicked wrist shot from the circle that zipped by Murray.
Just 30 seconds later, the Penguins were back in front.
Ben Lovejoy’s slap shot from the point caromed off the end boards to the right of the net. Rust jabbed at it, squeezing it between Vasilevskiy’s left arm and his body.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely