TAMPA — On the eve of his 22nd birthday, Matt Murray helped make an honest man of Evgeni Malkin.
So, too, for that matter, did Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Phil Kessel and the rest of the stars of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who played like ones on the one night they needed to more than any other.
On Monday, with his team facing elimination by being down 3-2 in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Malkin had a Joe Namath-Mark Messier moment when he proclaimed the Penguins would be back in Pittsburgh for Game 7 on Thursday night.