May 4th 2008 8:37PM by Pat Lackey

It’s strange what a role momentum plays in the playoffs. Even with a loss today, the Penguins would’ve held a 3-2 lead against the Rangers with a game in Mellon Arena in Game 7 if necessary. Still, after the Rangers scored two early goals in the third period to tie things up, Game 5 this afternoon certainly felt like a must-win game for Pittsburgh.

Of course, one of the amazing things about the playoffs is how quickly that momentum can shift. After withstanding the Rangers push in the third period, overtime was all Pittsburgh as New York never got their feet under them after killing off a Chris Drury double-minor that carried over for two and a half minutes into OT. While the Rangers didn’t get a shot in overtime, the Pens’ had six with the sixth being the game winner off of Marian Hossa’s stick. Coupled with the Flyers’ win last night, JP’s “Battle of Pennsylvania” is now an Eastern Conference Final reality. The residents of Pennsylvania are certainly psyched by this development. The residents of every other Eastern Conference city? Probably not so much.