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New York • Brandon Sutter scored a short-handed goal to break a second-period tie, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rode that momentum to move within one win of the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
Pittsburgh, which has won three straight following a series-opening loss, can advance with a Game 5 victory at home Friday night. The Penguins are looking to reach the East finals for the second straight year and the fourth in seven seasons.
The Penguins turned a tied series into a 3-1 lead at Madison Square Garden, where they have won seven of nine and are 12-4 since Dan Bylsma became their coach. Overall, Pittsburgh is 19-5 against the Rangers in the playoffs and 9-2 in New York.
Evgeni Malkin scored 2:31 in, and Jussi Jokinen made it 3-1 at 7:02 of the third before the teams traded late goals. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 13 shots.
The only negative for the Penguins was that Fleury allowed a goal for the first time in three games. Carl Hagelin's tying tally in the second period was the Rangers' first goal in 145 minutes, 30 seconds of playing time.
Mats Zuccarello cut it to 3-2 with 6:53 left on the Rangers' second shot of the third, but Chris Kunitz restored Pittsburgh's two-goal edge 57 seconds later.
Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves in the loss. —
NHL playoffs
O Wednesday
• Pittsburgh 4, N.Y. Rangers 2 Penguins lead series 3-1
Thursday
• Boston at Montreal, 5:30 p.m., NBCSN
Montreal leads 2-1
• Anaheim at Los Angeles, 8 p.m., NBCSN
Kings lead series 2-0