 The Penguins began the Eastern Conference Semi @-@ final against their Atlantic Division rival New York Rangers on April 25 . The team overcame a 3 – 0 deficit to defeat the Rangers , 5 – 4 in Game 1 . Hossa tied the game 4 : 40 into the third period , and Sykora took the lead twenty seconds later . After Scott Gomez tied the game at four , Malkin scored the game @-@ winning goal , deflecting a shot by Crosby with 1 : 41 left . In Game 2 , Staal scored a powerplay goal to take a 1 – 0 lead . In the last minute , Adam Hall shot the puck down ice , and it drifted into the empty net . Marc @-@ Andre Fleury saved all 26 shots , and the Penguins took a 2 – 0 lead in the series . The Penguins entered Game 3 at Madison Square Gardens after going 0 – 3 – 1 in the building during the regular season . They led 3 – 1 after the first period , before Jaromir Jagr tied the game . Malkin scored on the powerplay with 2 : 07 left in the second period to take the lead , and Malone added a goal in the third to give the Pens a 5 – 3 win , and a 3 – 0 series lead . The Penguins lost their first game of the post @-@ season in Game 4 against the Rangers . Jagr scored in the second period , Brandon Dubinsky in the third and Jagr scored again on an empty net goal in the last minute to force Game 5 . In Game 5 , the Penguins took a 2 – 0 lead in the second period after goals from Malkin and Hossa before the Rangers tied in the third . The game entered overtime , the first of the playoffs for the Penguins , where Hossa scored his second goal of the game 7 : 10 in . With the goal , the Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals . 
