Brassard's goal helped New York overcome wasting a 2-0 lead; Pouliot, who initially appeared to get the game-winner, and Brad Richards scored to put the Rangers up after the first 17:03 of the game. Lee Stempniak and James Neal helped Pittsburgh pull even in the second, but 3:06 into overtime, Brassard ended it. Some more notes from Consol Energy Center:

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GIVE AND TAKE


Nobody likes to see questionable calls change the game, but if it has to happen, it may as well even out — and each team benefited, big time, on their respective second goals. First, the Rangers went up 2-0 after a faceoff that was a direct result of an incorrect hand pass called against Sidney Crosby. Richards, alone in front after the Rangers won a defensive zone faceoff, badly beat Marc-Andre Fleury.

Then, at 13:28, Pittsburgh evened the game at 2-2 on a goal by James Neal. The official NHL explanation: "(Video) review determined that James Neal's shot crossed the New York goal line in a legal fashion, never touching Evgeni Malkin's stick. Good goal Pittsburgh." That's all well and good — but Malkin made contact with Henrik Lundqvist's glove. That seeming goaltender interference, not a high stick, was a bigger deal.


GIVE IT TIME


After the first 20 minutes, plenty of people, on Twitter and elsewhere, seemed ready to give the series to the Rangers; fatigued or not, they were up 2-0 and outshooting the Penguins 13-8. Fast forward to the end of the second: The score was tied, and Pittsburgh had taken a 23-17 lead on overall shots, along with a 17-15 edge in unblocked 5-on-5 attempts.

The point of this isn't to say one team played better or worse over those 40 minutes; just that, particularly early in series, people need to pump the brakes before making harsh judgments one way or the other. There are plenty of reasons to think that this series will be a long one — but regardless of how you feel, the first two periods should'n't have have swayed anyone in either direction.


POWERLESS


One of the biggest storylines headed into the series was New York's power play — specifically, how terrible it has been. Friday was no different; after starting the game scoreless in its previous 22 attempts, the Rangers went 0-for-4 and, worse, generated just four shots. We've seen teams win Stanley Cups with bad power plays — the Boston Bruins come to mind — and the Rangers are effective enough on the PK and at 5-on-5 to start making up from it, but they need to get something with the man advantage.