Penguins rookie Filip Hallander finally scored his first-ever NHL goal and did so shorthanded, too; he reacted after the game about this emotional moment.
Playing in just the seventh game of his NHL career, Hallander hammered in Rickard Rakell's rebound for a short-handed tally at 6:50 of the third, putting Pittsburgh in its first lead of the night and up 3-2.
The Kings Blew a 2 Goal Lead for Their 3rd Consecutive Loss
The Kings jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the first period on goals by Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala, but the Penguins responded with a two-goal flurry in 41 seconds in the second to tie the game.
The Penguins' momentum began when Malkin started the comeback with a power-play goal to pave the way for Hallander's historic moment. He reacted after the game about this special moment.
"It feels good. I was waiting for it," said Hallander. "It wasn't pretty, but it was very important, so it was fun (Rickard Rackell) got a good shot away. I had an open net on the first rebound, missed that, and then I just jammed the puck all I could."
The night was also one of historic significance for the soul and heart of Pittsburgh, as Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang both played their 1,000th game as a pair, the seventh forward-defenseman duo in NHL history to do so. Crosby sealed the win with an empty-netter.
Despite a good beginning, Los Angeles was defensively-minded and gave dearly in terms of penalties.