Penguins/Sabres Summary: As a wise man once said, YOU MUST BE HERE TO BELIEVE IT!

Before the game

The Penguins use a similar lineup to the one they used in Monday night's win, the only change being that Jack St. Ivany is in and Ryan Shea is out.

The visiting Buffalo Sabers take on the following group tonight.

First period

It only takes 43 seconds for Tristan Jarry's nightmare to begin. The goalie misplays a puck behind the net when Tage Thompson knocks it away. Then things get worse in terms of luck when Thompson tries to send the puck out from the right side, but it is deflected by him, so Thompson goes to the other side where Jarry isn't looking/leaning and in the Is able to put it online. 1-0 Buffalo early.

The misfortune gets even worse, another crazy jump from Erik Karlsson jumps straight into the goal of Jordan Greenway, who manages to sneak in. It's a close shot, but Jarry's poor form meant he never had a chance and Buffalo is 2-2 in the scoring department early on.

The Pens can stabilize with a power play scored by Kris Letang with a high stick. Sidney Crosby takes another (uncontested) high stick and steals the puck back. Crosby drops a pass for Evgeni Malkin. Looking for goal number 500, Malkin shoots. Ukko-Pekka Luukonen saves, but a lucky rebound this time leaves a slam dunk goal for Bryan Rust at the door. 2-1 game and Crosby records his 1,600th. Point in the NHL!

Buffalo gets a 2-on-1 rush, Jack St. Ivany does the one thing you don't want a defender to do and lets the pass through, and JJ Peterka shoots a really nice shot to the top of the net. Of all the goals, this one didn't go to Jarry, but at 10:32 he allowed three goals on five shots and his night is over.

Joel Blomqvist comes in and makes a few saves to the delight of the crowd.

Pittsburgh was 12-9 in the first game, but it was a brutal stretch for a Penguins team that fell behind too early.

Second period

There isn't much going on at the beginning. Karlsson gets way too casual in the neutral zone and loses the puck, leading to a Saber breakaway. Luckily, Blomqvist parries calmly.

Karlsson makes another loose move and the quick Peterka gets around him. His shot hits the post and Blomqvist somehow avoids sending the rebound into the net, but Marcus Pettersson is subsequently whistled for a sharp shot.

There's a referee show with penalties on Jason Zucker and then Matt Grzelcyk in quick succession, leading to a 4-on-3 Buffalo power play. Noel Acciari does well to win a puck and start a 2-on-1 duel with Drew O'Connor. O'Connor carries the puck and shoots a great shot into the net.

However, Buffalo calls an offside call. It was very close, Acciari couldn't be pushed into the zone, but after a long delay the goal was scored. 3-2 game and Buffalo is punished for the failed challenge and we get the rare 3v3 in regular time.

Blomqvist continues to hold his own and the Pens equalize. Nice move by Lars Eller to assist Jesse Puljujarvi, who, facing away from the goalkeeper, shoots a nice backhand ball into the net. 3-3, against all odds.

The shots are 11-10 Pittsburgh in the second. Most importantly, the Pens made 10 saves and thanks to Blomqvist's performance it was a draw with 20 minutes left.

Third period

After a brilliant one-touch pass from Crosby behind the net, Rust hit the puck into the goal from close range. However, after a review, the referees decide there was no goal because Rust intervened by pushing Luukkonen's ball into the net.

Eller takes a penalty, Michael Bunting has a great chance with a cross-ice pass, but Luukkonen parries it with great speed. As the power play comes to an end, Malkin and Crosby engage in a classic give-and-go, Malkin shooting to the net and scoring his 500th goal on a third shot attempt in an astonishing performance virtually off his back. The Pens' bench is ceremoniously cleared away.

And it gave the Pens their first lead of the game at 4-3.

The good times don't last, Malkin and Cody Glass get opportunities but can't take advantage of them, and if it felt like a bad sign for the future, it was. More lackluster defending and Peterka almost missing the goal leads to another break for him. He misses his second goal of the game over Blomqvist's shoulder. 4-4 game.

Forty seconds later the flower separates from the rose. The Pens can't get a free kick or the puck, eventually Ryan McLeod shoots from distance and the rising shot beats Blomqvist. 5-4 Buffalo is simply back on top.

The Pens pull Blomqvist – and it works! Malkin's shot leaves a rebound that Rust and Rickard Rakell agree on. Rakell does it for the third time this season, tying the game with just 46 seconds left!

Over time

Crosby-Rust-Karlsson starts the first OT of the season for the Pens. Sid shoots to the net with a power move, but is unable to score due to a rolling puck.

Buffalo receives a tripping penalty, Pittsburgh receives a 4-on-3 power play with 4:17 left. The big boys pass the puck around and Crosby wins it on the doorstep after a pass from Karlsson. Unreal.

Some thoughts

• Tristan Jarry, sigh. What can you even say?
• To put it a little more precisely: the wheels are completely out of control at the moment. It's clear to see that his confidence is shaken. All the preseason hype about a fresh start and good shape is out the window, it doesn't matter. He has continued where he left off in the second half of last season, namely conceding too many goals at the start of games and being substituted often. Time will tell if this results in him losing his job again like he did last year, but it doesn't look good.
• And granted, this is completely personal and emotional and has no real merit, but after Jarry is pulled, he sits on the bench and remains calm without reacting. Of course, a person in this position has to be incredibly competitive to get this far, but it's annoying to see him outwardly cool. Break a stick! Throw a blocker down the hall! Head to the locker room for a moment to relax! Do something! (Admittedly, this is undoubtedly a no-win, damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation, as many would complain if he reacted in an irritable or whiny manner. ) I don't need it to be performative, but showing some displeasure or some emotion would humanize him and look better than just taking it all in.
• OK, I think I've said a lot more on the topic. It feels better that way, right? In the end it almost feels like a different game.
• The first 30 minutes were about the worst Karlsson has ever played as a Penguin. Maybe I would stretch it further, but it was particularly bad in the beginning. As mentioned above, casual seems like the perfect word. There's a fine line between being patient and playing too slowly, and he was on the wrong end of it.
• Incoherent was the word for the pens. The little things everywhere were terrible. Malkin stole a puck and found Michael Bunting, who was in his way, making this clear. A little later, Marcus Pettersson tripped over himself while making a substitution. Random strange things everywhere. Letang and Karlsson can't get through where they need to, ugly stuff.
• But when you have a goalie who wipes everything out, it definitely helps. Kudos to Blomqvist, who stopped the first 15 shots he saw and kept the team in the game. If he wasn't particularly sharp on the cold start, the scoreboard could have been very ugly.
• On the bright side, the Pens remembered how to get pucks and bodies to the net on the power play. So that's nice. He scored two goals on six occasions, two of which were very, very short, and the Malkin goal came seconds after another expired. And add the 6v5 game at the end of the game (although not a power game), but the same concept in spirit. That's encouraging to see right from the start.
• The third line was great too. Scoring goals, taking penalties, they have something cooking. The fourth line was also competent, with the bottom six's play continuing to be an impressive development at the start of the year.
• Malkin's drive to score that goal was an example of what makes him special: that mix of skill and desire. He wanted the milestone goal and couldn't be denied, so he went and scored it. The top players always know how to add that extra bit of flair in the big moments.
• It would have hurt Malkin and Crosby on the big milestone night if the Pens couldn't get the win. Individual success is all well and good, but in a team sport, without that victory, everything is in vain. Luckily there was enough time to find a balance and see some more magic in OT. Crosby (1G+2A) and Malkin (1G+3A) had big games at the end because of course they did. What a run they have given us all over the last 19, 20 years, really special and incredible and nice that it doesn't have to end on a sour note.

Next up is Carolina, which will be the last home game for Pittsburgh in a while. The Pens have some tightening to do right now and some very real questions, but they're also showing some of their star power and drive along the way. In that regard, nothing could be more fitting than Crosby and Malkin individually capping it off with a thrilling win on a milestone night.