PITTSBURGH — When it was all over, when the euphoric cheers of the capacity crowd at CONSOL Energy Center could still be heard some 10 minutes after the series had officially ended, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford broke into a wry grin before disappearing into the team offices.

“I guess they can’t say he doesn’t come through in big games anymore,” Rutherford told Postmedia, referring to Phil Kessel.

On this night, Kessel scored twice to lead his Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals, eliminating Alex Ovechkin and his teammates from the playoffs in six games.

And now, Phil Kessel is going to a place Ovechkin has never gone — the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In this, a Tale of Two Legacies, who could have ever predicted 12 months ago that the paths of Kessel and Ovechkin would go this way?

While Washington Capitals general manager Brian McLellan was busy constructing a blueprint to bolster the talent level around Ovechkin at the time — a gameplan that would result in the additions of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams a couple of months later — Kessel was being hammered by the School of Public Perception in Toronto, where he was being painted in some circles as the blue-and-white scapegoat for everything and anything wrong with the Maple Leafs.

Questioned at times — and legitimately so — for his lack of work ethic and leadership, Kessel was eventually shipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins for centre Nick Spaling, forward Kasperi Kapanen, defenceman Scott Harrington, plus first- and third-round picks from 2016. The Leafs also sent forward Tyler Biggs, defenceman Tim Erixon and a 2016 second-round pick to Pittsburgh.

Kessel’s 7 power-play points are tied for 1st in the NHL this postseason. Here's his second goal of the night. pic.twitter.com/s8JjCdsadM — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 11, 2016

With the Leafs retaining $1.2 million of Kessel’s salary in each of the next seven seasons, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was able to squeeze Kessel’s hefty salary under a cap that already was clogged with big-ticket contracts belonging to the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury.

The risk of taking on such an enigmatic figure with such a hefty cap hit was huge, a ticking time bomb that could blow up at the confluence of the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela Rivers at any time.

Some 82 regular season and 11 post-season games later, Rutherford certainly feels that his gamble had been more than worth it as he watched Kessel be a different maker at the most important time of the year.

“A big change from a year ago, isn’t it?” Kessel said, wearing a big smile. “It was fun.”

But it wasn’t easy.

Indeed, Phil Kessel had been through this gut-wrenching torture before.

On May 13, 2013, Kessel’s Maple Leafs held a 4-1 lead over the Boston Bruins with 11 minutes remaining in the third period of Game 7.

Cue the collapse.

Indeed, the Bruins reeled off three straight goals, including two with Tuukka Rask off for the extra attacker, to knot the game the game at 4-4. That set the stage for Patrice Bergeron, whose winner at 6:05 of overtime completed the miraculous comeback for Boston.

A three-goal lead in an elimination game. Gone. But certainly not forgotten by Kessel and his disheartened teammates.

Now here was Kessel, almost three years later, in almost the same spot on Tuesday night at the CONSOL Energy Center.

Another three-goal lead. Another chance to eliminate a talented foe, this time Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals.

Beagle makes a save pic.twitter.com/gzQpbj3vGR — Stephanie (@myregularface) May 11, 2016

Heading into Tuesday’s Game 6 of this second-round series between the Capitals and Kessel’s Penguins Pittsburgh held a 3-2 lead in the matchup. And when a pair of Kessel goals, along with a single by linemate Carl Hagelin, gave the Penguins a 3-0 advantage in the game, a false sense of security seemed to blanket the yellow-and-black clad crowd.

There’s a good chance Kessel wasn’t overconfident, however. And rightly so.

Goals late in the second by T.J. Oshie and early in the third by Justin Williams narrowed the gap to 3-2.

And then came the Theatre of the Bizarre.

In a strange twist to a strange game, the Penguins took three consecutive delay-of-game penalties for flipping the puck over the glass. And it would cost them, too, as John Carlson’s power-play goal with 6:59 remaining in regulation deadlocked the score at 3-3.

Would history repeat itself for Phil the Thrill?

Would defeat once again be snatched from the jaws of victory?

Not this time.

This time, a blown three-goal lead would not cost Kessel and his teammates a victory, thanks to Nick Bonino.

With the moment calling for a hero, Bonino stepped up and occupied the role, scoring at 6:32 of overtime.

And now, Phil Kessel and the Penguins are going on to meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round.

All the while, Alex Ovechkin is going home.

Again.