Panthers Prevail 4-3, Force A Seventh Game Penguins’ Big Guns Fail To Find Answers For Florida’s Defense
The Rat Pack came back.
The resilient Florida Panthers, stifling Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr all game, still have more hockey to play this season, thanks to Rob Niedermayer’s big goal Thursday night.
Niedermayer won a faceoff, raced to the net and scored on his own rebound late in the third period, giving the Panthers a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh and sending the Eastern Conference championship series to a seventh game.
With the Colorado Avalanche waiting for their opponent in the Stanley Cup finals, Pittsburgh couldn’t put Florida away and played catchup most of the night. Game 7 will be in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
“Our backs were against the wall,” said Florida goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. “Our season could have been over, but it’s not. The guys took it upon themselves to do whatever it took to score.”
Once again the plastic rats flew from the stands as Florida solved Penguins goaltender Tom Barrasso, who had allowed one goal in six periods going into the game.
“We tried to bring the puck to the net and start hacking and whacking and see what happens,” Vanbiesbrouck said.
The Panthers continued to shut down the scoring tandem of Lemieux and Jagr. The top two regular-season scoring leaders were held without a goal for the fourth straight game - the first time that has occurred this season.
The two were credited with one official shot - a third period chance by Lemieux.
“Defensively, they are the best team I’ve ever played against,” Lemieux said. “…There’s just not much room.”
Jagr, who hadn’t had a clean shot all night, got a breakaway with 40 seconds left in the game. He tried to go to the backhand in the crease but shot a knuckler that hit a Florida defenseman before somersaulting into Vanbiesbrouck’s body.
“This is a big loss for us,” Pittsburgh’s Bryan Smolinski said. “We had all the momentum.”
With Pittsburgh’s supermen being denied again, the Penguins had to rely on Joe Dziedic, Kevin Miller and Tomas Sandstrom for their goals.
Scott Mellanby, Bill Lindsay and former Penguin Martin Straka scored for the Panthers. Lindsay also had an assist.
The Penguins said they didn’t want a Game 7 and played that way.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Pittsburgh coach Eddie Johnston said. “‘We were like traffic cops, letting them go in and out. We didn’t hit anybody.”
xxxx NHL PLAYOFFS Saturday: Florida at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m., (ESPN)