The Rangers and the Madison Square Garden crowd collectively held their breath, staring up at the Jumbotron as the potential game-deciding goal went under review.

Kaapo Kakko had just willed himself to the Penguins net and made significant contact with goaltender Casey DeSmith with help from Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin, before backhanding a pass while he was falling to Filip Chytil for the wide-open goal that would’ve broken a 3-3 tie with just over three minutes left in regulation.

It was an easy decision for Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to challenge for goaltending inference.

And as referee Chris Lee skated to center ice, proclaimed “no goal,” the Garden fans showed their displeasure. The boos hurled down from the blue seats and blanketed the ice in disappointment.

The first Stanley Cup playoff game at MSG since May 9, 2017, was headed to overtime. Then double-overtime, the first at the Garden since April 20, 2011. Then first triple-overtime since Game 3 of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Despite DeSmith exiting with an apparent injury and bringing in a cold Louis Domingue in the second OT, Pittsburgh still emerged with a 4-3 win and a 1-0 lead in the series after Evgeni Malkin deflected in a shot from the point just under six minutes into the third extra period.

“No, I’d like to say I do [have an issue with it],” head coach Gerard Gallant said after the loss. “But you know what, it was going the other way in a 3-3 hockey game and to me, it was 50-50 call, and I sort of felt it was going to go against us. I can’t argue with that.”

Ryan Strome, who finished with an assist and seven shots on goal, noted that it was difficult to look back on the overturned goal after having competed in three extra periods. There were a lot of small plays, the second-line center pointed out, the Rangers would’ve liked to have gone their way.

“Tough,” Strome said. “Obviously, you want those calls to go your way. The game happens so fast, obviously he’s not trying to run into the goalie or anything. I thought it was a call that could go either way. It is what it is.”

Ryan Lindgren went to the locker room just before the third period started, then returned during a TV timeout to skate and see how he felt before retreating back to the dressing room. The Rangers’ top-pair defenseman took two shifts in the third period and competed in much of the first and second overtimes but did not participate in the final extra period.

Gallant said Lindgren was dealing with a lower-body injury, and they’d know more about his status on Wednesday.

Gallant went with Ryan Reaves over Dryden Hunt to forge a fourth line with Kevin Rooney and Barclay Goodrow. Patrik Nemeth and Braden Schneider comprised the’ third defensive pair, which left veteran Justin Braun as a scratch.