Rangers Rally From Two Down To Beat Penguins 5-2

After trailing 2-0 by the end of the first period, the New York Rangers rallied back and Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and J.T. Miller each scored a goal in the second en route to a 5-2 victory over the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Monday night.

Rangers Rally From Two Down To Beat Penguins 5-2

The Rangers (14-5-1) lead the Penguins (11-5-3) by four points atop the Metropolitan Division.

“This was a really strong team effort, I felt,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “I thought after the first period, we settled down. We started playing better away from the puck and gave them less rush opportunities. … That’s a real strong team, but we were able to do what we had to do to get the job done tonight.”

Kevin Hayes and Derek Stepan also scored for New York.

Penguins forward Jake Guentzel scored twice in his NHL debut. Guentzel, who played left wing, gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead on a wrist shot 1:02 into the game.

His goal was the fastest scored by a Penguins player making his debut, beating forward Rick Kessell (2:19 on March 21, 1970).

“It’s a dream come true to play here,” Guentzel said. “Obviously you have a little bit of nerves at the start and you just try to get them out early, so with the goal I think it helped a little bit.”

He pushed the lead to 2-0 with 6:48 remaining in the first after Evgeni Malkin tipped a shot from Phil Kessel on goalie Antti Raanta, who made 29 saves for the Rangers and is 5-0-0 this season. Guentzel shot the rebound over the goal line.

With forwards Chris Kunitz (lower body) and Patric Hornqvist (concussion) injured, the Penguins recalled Guentzel from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Monday morning. He led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 17 points and seven goals in 16 games this season.

Nash cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-1 5:31 into the second, after Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz slid to block Nash’s attempted cross-crease pass to Stepan. Nash shot over goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s glove.

Grabner tied it 2-2 with 5:37 left in the second with his 12th goal, which tied Penguins forward Sidney Crosby and Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine for the NHL-lead, and Miller made it 3-2 on a shorthanded goal with 48.5 seconds remaining in the period.

Hayes scored with 7:44 remaining in the third period to push the lead to 4-2. Stepan scored an empty-net goal with 1:23 left.

The two teams will next face off again in New York on Wednesday night.

PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 21: Michael Grabner #40 of the New York Rangers puts the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 21, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images)