Phil Kessel rescued Nick Bonino on side of road before Game 5

Phil Kessel: Great teammate. (Chris O'Meara/AP)

Nick Bonino almost didn’t make it to to the rink on Sunday for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward had some car trouble, which left him stranded on the side of the highway.

“It was weird. All of a sudden, the gas didn’t work and the power steering went out in the middle of the highway,” Bonino told reporters following the Penguins’ dominant 7-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Lucky for him, Phil Kessel came to the rescue.

“I was able to get it to the side [of the road], and great teammate Phil Kessel came and picked me up,” Bonino said, smiling. “I owe a lot to Phil for being here tonight. Great guy.”

With his truck at the dealership, Bonino went on to tally two first-period assists to help Pittsburgh claim a 3-2 series lead.

For his part, Kessel scored a power-play marker in the third period and also registered an assist on Sunday afternoon—two, if you count the roadside assistance earlier that day.

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