Just a matter of time, that’s all.

It was only a matter of time before Sidney Crosby found the back of the net in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, which is exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain did midway through a wild second period in a 4-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 at Mellon Arena on Thursday night.

Crosby had been held without a goal in the first three games of this series — a series that became a best-of-3 when the final horn sounded — but No. 87 certainly wasn’t short on scoring chances. His 15th goal of the playoffs came at 10:34 of the second period, when he redirected a pretty feed by Evgeni Malkin past Chris Osgood and broke a 2-2 tie. It was the second of three consecutive goals by the Pens, all scored in a span of 5:47.

QUICK ANALYSIS

The Red Wings had a 2-1 lead in the second period and were working on overlapping penalties (3:58 total man-advantage minutes). A Detroit goal could have sucked the life out of the Penguins and given the Red Wings a 3-1 stranglehold in the series.

Things were looking bleak for Pittsburgh. But the entire atmosphere changed during a 5:37 span in that second period that flip the outcome in the critical Game 4, and maybe the entire series, in the Penguins favor.

The Penguins posted three goals in that time to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 advantage. Jordan Staal started the flurry with a shorthanded goal that tied the game and jumpstarted Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby and Tyler Kennedy followed with goals of their own.

The Penguins shut down the Red Wings the rest of the way and the Stanley Cup Final heads back to Detroit all even. Pittsburgh climbed out of the 2-0 hole and turned this series into a best-of-three competition. Now, it’s a race to two and the opening gun will fire Saturday night in the Motor City.