What to watch for: 1991 Stanley Cup Final (Game 4)

During the next two weeks AT&T SportsNet will continue airing a series of "Pittsburgh Penguins Classic" content. The includes re-airing the Penguins' four victories against the Minnesota North Stars in the 1991 Stanley Cup Final (Games 2, 4, 5, 6).
To get you set for these games we've provided a quick preview/recap of the game. Obviously, the Penguins won each game. Having watched these games in full for the "first time" myself, I listed my biggest takeaways and surprises from the retro games. Some of these observations may jog your memory, and some may come into clarity for the first time - those moments that only hindsight can really bring into focus.
To view all 1991 Stanley Cup Final rewind coverage, click here.
Enjoy!

PROGRAMMING:
6PM: Mario: Rise to Stardom
7PM: Game 4 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final - Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
9:30PM: Spotlight: "Badger" Bob Johnson
10PM: SportsBeat Rewind: Mario Lemieux
10:30PM: In My Own Words: Eddie Johnston
SETUP: The Penguins split the series at home before traveling to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. The North Stars showed their home-ice advantage at the Met Center with a 3-1 victory in Game 3. Heading into a pivotal Game 4 the North Stars had won eight straight at home, and were 20-2-2 since Jan. 16 in Minnesota. Another home victory for the North Stars would have given them a stranglehold on the series. And what's worse, Pittsburgh was without Mario Lemieux for the Game 3 loss as the Penguins captain was sidelined with a back injury. His availability for Game 4 was a question mark.
SUMMARY: Despite severe back pain, Mario Lemieux suited up and played in Game 4. It was the biggest game of the Penguins' season, and they responded early. In signature Pittsburgh fashion, the team scored three goals in the opening three minutes of the game to jet out to a 3-0 lead. The outburst started 58 seconds into the game from Kevin Stevens, followed by goals from Ron Francis and Lemieux. The Stars would fight back and pull to within 4-3 entering the third period. But goalie Tom Barrasso, who stopped 35 of 38 shots, stonewalled the Stars in the third, and the Penguins' penalty killers staved off 3:49 minutes of a major penalty late in the frame to hold on for a 5-3 victory. The series was once again even, 2-2, heading back to Pittsburgh.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
FIRST PERIOD
\Mario Lemieux skated gingerly and uncomfortably in warmups. He missed Game 3 with back spasms, but came out for the start of Game 4 in the most critical game in the Penguins' entire season.
\GOAL! Stevens! It took the Penguins all of 58 seconds to draw first blood. Stevens carried the puck and cut to the net, pulling the puck around a sliding Marc Bureau. His shot sneaked through the five-hole of goalie Jon Casey. Not Casey's best, but much needed for Pittsburgh.
\GOAL! Francis! Joey Mullen chipped the puck out of the defensive zone to Stevens, who could fly for a guy with his size. Stevens split the D and snapped a shot from the lower circle. Casey kicked out an enormous rebound to the stick of Francis in the high slot. Francis went five-hole for the tally.
The Penguins had more goals (two) in 2:36 minutes in Game 4 than they scored in the entirety of Game 3 (one).
\GOAL! Lemieux! Larry Murphy's point shot missed the net. Mark Recchi found it and made a blind backhand pass across the crease to Lemieux on the opposite side. He wasted little time in capping off a three-goal sequence in 120 seconds.
These Penguins love to score goals in bunches. That's true today, and it was true 30 years ago.
\Lemieux was still being used on the PK despite his bad back. I can't imagine the pain he was in before/during/after this game.
\Ulf Samuelsson gonna be Ulf Samuelsson. He leveled Basil McRae TWICE in the neutral zone within a 10-second sequence. First, he launched his entire body at him. On the second, he went low and hit him with the hip check. Even Paul Stanton, looking on from the penalty box, was screaming in approval of the collision.
\Dave Gagner tried to crush Lemieux into the boards, but the big guy avoided him. Gagner, though, turned and punched Lemieux in the face. No puck in sight. This is what Mario had to deal with night in and night out.
\Jim Johnson with a perfect form tackle on Recchi at the crease with 5:15 left in the first period. He is called for holding and we get our first appearance of Paul Coffey, who was still playing with a broken jaw. Coffey was once again limited to only power-play time and went through long stretches without playing. It was not ideal.
\Goal. Gagner. The North Stars get on the board late to make it 3-1 with 1:44 remaining.
SECOND PERIOD
\Phil Bourque got a breakaway with no one in sight and managed to miss the net wildly. I can't wait to bring this up next time I see him.
\Did they even have moorings in the early 90s? I swear the nets get knocked off every 20 seconds in this game. It feels that way anyway.
\GOAL! Trottier! The veteran gave Pittsburgh a 4-1 lead. The North Stars left him alone at the net. He collected a puck and was able to pull the puck around Casey's kicked-out pad and tuck it in on the backhand while being knocked down to the ice. The Penguins are in a good position halfway through the game.

\This is wild. Brian Bellows crashed the net and ran into Barrasso. MARIO goes after Bellows and then Barrasso literally tackles Bellows. Insanity ensues. You can see Lemieux was playing with intensity.
\Goal. Propp from Gagner. A power-play goal for Minnesota makes it a 4-2 game. Still a two-goal cushion for Pittsburgh.
\Goal. Welp. Rookie Mike Modano scored on a 5-on-3 power play to cut it to 4-3 with just 1:35 remaining in the second period. Murphy and Bob Errey were both in the box. Errey was penalized for hooking Modano. So, he finished the play.
\Incredible save late in the period by Barrasso, who made 15 saves in the second period alone, on Bobby Smith. That maintained the Penguins lead heading into the third period.
THIRD PERIOD
\Speaking of Barrasso, what an outrageous save on Neal Broten. He was all alone at the net and pulled it around Barrasso, who sprawled out and threw his arms up to somehow make a save.
\Broten with another ridiculous chance. He pulled the puck around a Barrasso pokecheck and had a wide-open net, but missed on his shot. You could feel Minnesota had all of the momentum. The Penguins were hanging on desperately.
\You could feel this coming. Troy Loney is called for a five-minute major high-sticking penalty on Mark Tinordi. The North Stars, who set an NHL record for power-play goals in the playoffs this season (35 total at this point), were getting five minutes of unlimited scoring chances with 6:57 remaining in regulation.
There's no doubt this was a penalty. But the referee, Andy van Hellemond, wasn't even going to call a penalty on the initial play. It wasn't until after and seeing Tinordi bleeding that he gave five minutes to Loney. A gross overcorrection.
\Wow. Just amazing work by the Penguins' PK unit. They looked energized and amped up during the entire kill. Pittsburgh was aggressive and attacking. They held Minnesota to ZERO shots on goal through 3:49 minutes of PK time when…
\A play that has gone down in history for changing the course of Pittsburgh's championship aspirations. Bourque was pursuing a puck behind the North Stars net when Casey stuck out his foot. Bourque is tripped and Casey penalized. That negated the rest of Loney's penalty. Casey definitely stuck out the leg. Bourque definitely sold the fall. (Although honestly, the Penguins' PK looked so good I feel like they would have killed it).
Speaking of Bourque…
\GOAL! BOURQUE! An empty-netter with 15 seconds left sealed the victory.
*The Penguins pulled it off, beating Minnesota in the unfriendly confines of the Met Center. The victory evened the series at 2-2 heading back to Pittsburgh. The Stanley Cup dream was alive and well in the Steel City.