STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Jagr’s Goal Lifts Penguins Past Bruins in Overtime, 4-3

Jaromir Jagr, contained most of the night by Boston’s defense, skated through the Bruins to beat goaltender Andy Moog at 9:44 of overtime Sunday night and rally the Penguins to a 4-3 victory in the opener of the Wales Conference finals.

“What were we waiting for? We were waiting for Jags to cut through three guys and score,” forward Shawn McEachern said. “I knew it would take a play like that to win it and who better than Jags?”

The Penguins, shut out since the first period and playing without the high intensity that keyed their Patrick Division playoff upsets of Washington and New York, trailed, 3-2, until McEachern swept the puck inside the right post at 12:27 of the third period.

Both teams killed power plays in the overtime until Jagr poked the puck away from defenseman Don Sweeney in the Penguins’ zone. Defenseman Kjell Samuelsson tracked it down at the Pittsburgh blue line and passed up ice to Jagr, the star of the Penguins’ six-game upset of the Rangers.

Jagr, one of the NHL’s most dangerous players in open ice, skated around defenseman Matt Hervey and took a shot that ticked Hervey’s stick and went past Moog.

“I was the one back, I’ll take the heat for it,” Hervey said.

The goal was Jagr’s third consecutive game-winner and seventh of the playoffs.

Boston had been 3-0 in playoff overtimes and was 6-2 during the season. Pittsburgh is 2-1 in playoff overtimes.

The Bruins had dominated most of the game, outshooting the Penguins by 41-31.

Glen Wesley had given the Bruins a 3-2 lead at 19:16 of the second period, powering a shot from the left circle off goaltender Tom Barrasso’s glove after a flurry of missed shots. Barrasso had 38 saves.

The Bruins are 0-4 in Pittsburgh during the Wales Conference finals the last two seasons. Game 2 will be played Tuesday before the series shifts to Boston on Thursday.

“We played a good game, but giveaways set up three of their goals and you can’t do that in the playoffs,” the Bruins’ Dave Poulin said.

“Did they steal one? I don’t think so. We have to play better.”