Games
New York Rangers 2 - Pittsburgh Penguins 5
Jeff Zatkoff (who was in for the injured Marc-Andre Fleury) was tested early by the Rangers, but managed to turn aside what he faced. The Penguins would get a break though, as Viktor Stalberg was called for hooking. The powerplay wasn't a productive one for the Penguins, as the Rangers killed it off. Minute later, Stalberg was called to the box again (this time for hitting to the head). The Rangers killed that one as well, then got a powerplay of their own, as Eric Fehr was giving two minutes for giving Henrik Lundqvist a snow shower. Pittsburgh might have had the best chance though, as Carl Hagelin tipped Kris Letang's point shot, but it missed the net. The Penguins started picking up their play, but it didn't have any immediate result. New York got a scare near the end of the period, as the blade of Marc Staal got past Lundqvist's cage and poked him in the eye. It took couple minutes, but Lundqvist would recover and stay in for the rest of the period. It may not have been a good idea, as Patric Hornqvist scored in the dying seconds of the period. Pittsburgh headed into the intermission up 1-0. Antti Raanta went in to replace Lundqvist at the start of the second period. It got worst early on, as just nine seconds in Chris Krieder was called for interference. Pittsburgh's powerplay still could not get anything going, as they were 0 for 3 so far on the man advantage. Both teams exchanged powerplay midway through the period (first the Penguins, then the Rangers). While both were better than previous attempts, neither could find the back of the net. It was late in the period when once again Pittsburgh struck. Hornqvist found an open Crosby in the neutral zone, and he was off to the races. He skated until he was between the hash marks before snapping it past Raanta's glove. The Penguins ended the second period up 2-0. The Rangers came out firing in the third period, and while they did not get a goal right away, they did managed to draw two penalties. The 5-on-3 was beneficial for New York, as Derek Stepan finished off a tic-tac-toe play to put the Rangers on the board. The celebration was short-lived though, as Mick Bonino and Tom Kuhnhackl connected on a shorthanded 2-on-1, restoring the two-goal lead. There would be a few minutes of 5-on-5 until the next penalty was called. This time, it was in favour of the Penguins, as Eric Staal was called for goalie interference. The Pittsburgh powerplay finally converted on an opportunity, as Hornqvist poked home his second of the game. The goal was reviewed, but it stood, making it 4-1 for the Penguins. The Rangers didn't go away just yet, as minutes later Stepan tucked home a rebound for his second of the game. Outside of one good shift, New York's offense didn't manage much. Hornqvist scored an empty netter to complete his hat trick. Pittsburgh won 5-2 and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
New York Rangers 4 - Pittsburgh Penguins 2
This game was Evgeni Malkin's first in a while. The game took a few minutes to pick up, but once it did, it was back-and-forth. Derek Stepan had the best chance, getting on a semi-breakaway, but Zatkoff was there to make the save. The Rangers put on the pressure midway through the period, but could not find the back of the net. The Penguins' chances were more spaced out, but had the same result (nothing). Kevin Hayes took a penalty for slashing later in the period, but Pittsburgh couldn't do anything with it. The period ended with a tussle, as Hornqvist and Mats Zuccarello were sent off for roughing after getting tangled up. No goals happened in the first 20 minutes of play. The second period started with 4-on-4 play. Off the opening faceoff, Rick Nash took the loose puck and went in on a breakaway. Zatkoff stood tall though, stopping the shot. Just after Zuccarello left the box, he would go right back in, getting called for hooking this time. It was what the Penguins needed to open the scoring. A great defensive play by Hornqvist led to an odd-man rush the other way. Bonino, Trevor Daley, and Kessel played tic-tac-toe, with Kessel finishing it. The Rangers started to pick up their play midway through the period, leading to a powerplay. Brain Dumoulin's hooking penalty gave the Rangers their first man advantage of the game. New York didn't score on the powerplay, but it wasn't long after that they scored their first of the game. J.T. Miller's centering pass found an open Keith Yandle, who beat Zatkoff before he fully slid over. Just 18 seconds later, Brassard scored on a breakaway to put New York in the lead. It was challenged as Brassard looked offside on the play, but the linesmen concluded that wasn't the case. The goal stood, making it 2-1 Rangers. New York kept up their play, resulting in another powerplay. Bryan Rust was called for interference, making the Penguins shorthanded again. The Penguins killed the penalty, then sprung Rust on a breakaway when he left the box. He would be stopped by Lundqvist. The Rangers would get another goal later in the period. Miller fed a cross-ice pass to Zuccarello, who wasted no time putting the puck into the net. Pittsburgh got a powerplay late in the period, but failed to score on it. The second period was more eventful, as New York ended the period up 3-1. It didn't take long for the Rangers to strike in the third. A turnover near the Penguins net led to Kreider beating Zatkoff to make it 4-1 Rangers. Pittsburgh started to turn the play in their favour. It looked bad when Crosby was called for slashing, but that was negated when Kreider went off seconds later for goalie interference. Less than a minute later, Yandle was called for cross checking, making it a 4-on-3 for the Penguins. Once again, Kessel finished off a tic-tac-toe play, resulting in his second goal of the game. Things got heated midway through the period. A bad slash by Kunitz on Marc Staal led to Kevin Klein jumping in and fighting Kunitz. Both got a two and a five minute penalty, negating any powerplay that might have occurred. Pittsburgh pressed on the rest of the way, but New York would not give up anything. New York won 4-2, tying the series at 1-1.
Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - New York Rangers 1
Pittsburgh made a change in goal before the game, as Matt Murray would get his first taste of NHL playoff action. The Penguins came out buzzing, looking to strike first. They had plenty of attempts early on, but nothing to show for it. It was also heated early, with Malkin and Brady Skjei getting into a pushing match. Pittsburgh got the first powerplay of the game halfway through the period, as Marc Staal was called for tripping. Just before the powerplay was over, Connor Sheary was called for a double-minor high-stick. 4-on-4 would wind down, and New York would go on a powerplay. They scored early on the powerplay, as Kreider finished off his own rebound. Pittsburgh would challenge the play though, as it looked like New York entered the zone offside. It was determined that Miller's skate was off the ice on the point of entry, resulting in the goal getting called back and the game going back to 0-0. The Penguins killed off the remainder of their penalty. Tempers picked up late in the period. A hit by Kunitz on Hayes led to both of them getting tangled up and a scrum ensuing. Kunitz, Letang, Hayes, and Stalberg all received roughing penalties. Play resumed at 5-on-5. The Rangers had a late push, but came up empty. The first period ended with the game tied 0-0. It didn't take long for the Rangers to get penalized in the second, as Krieder headed to the box for boarding. Seconds later, the Rangers scored the opening goal. Nash went down the wing alone and snapped on over Murray's shoulder before Letang could get him. New York had their first actual goal of the game, making it a 1-0 game. The Rangers killed off their penalty, then received a powerplay minutes later, as Daley went off for tripping. They could not do much on the man advantage though, only registering one shot on net. The Rangers got another powerplay chance when Malkin was sent off for tripping, but again could not find the back of the net. The Penguins started to press, looking to tie the game. They would get rewarded with a powerplay late in the period when Marc Staal was called for hooking. It didn't take long for the Penguins to capitalize on it, as Kessel's pass deflected off Crosby and into the net. The second period ended as a 1-1 tie. Play was relatively even in the early going, as both teams looked for the go-ahead goal. Four minutes into the game, Matt Cullen ended up on a breakaway. He made good on the attempt, going five-hole on Lundqvist to put the Penguins in the lead. Both teams kept at it, with chances getting exchanged. The Rangers pulled Lundqvist for an extra attacker late, but it was no use. Letang scored on the empty net to cap the game. The 3-1 win gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 series lead.
Pittsburgh Penguins 5 - New York Rangers 0
It did not take long for Pittsburgh to open the scoring in this one. Ben Lovejoy's point shot was stopped, but Eric Fehr skated in and banged home the rebound to put the Penguins up 1-0. Pittsburgh kept up their early pressure, but Fehr's goal would be the only one. New York took the first penalty of the game, with Nash heading to the box for interference. It would be costly for them. Malkin's point shot was deflected by Crosby and skipped past Lundqvist, making it a 2-0 game. Pittsburgh got a penalty of their own a bit later, as Hornqvist was called for interference. The Rangers could not get much going on their powerplay. Daley and Eric Staal got into it after Daley pushed Staal into the Penguins net. It was broken up before it got real heated, and both received minor penalties. The Rangers outplayed the Penguins on the 4-on-4, but had nothing to show for it. Just as Daley come out of the box, he would go right back in, this time for hooking Stalberg. Once again, New York's powerplay went goalless. A solo effort by Sheary led to the next Penguins goal. Sheary blocked Klein's pass, collected the loose puck, skated down the wing, and beat Lundqvist blocker-side. Malkin looked to have scored seconds later, but it was called off due to goalie interference. New York got a great chance to get on the board late in the period, with Eric Staal wasted no time throwing a rebound at the net. Unfortunately for him, Murray slid over in time to deflect it away from harm. Pittsburgh ended the first period up 3-0. An early penalty in the second made things harder for the Rangers, as Dominic Moore was called for holding. Just seconds into the powerplay, Malkin blasted one from the point, making it 4-0 for the Penguins. Lundqvist stayed in for a couple more minutes, but was eventually pulled for Raanta. It was at a bad time too, as seconds later Tanner Glass was called for a double-minor high-stick. Pittsburgh got close, but could not score on the four-minute opportunity. The Rangers caught a break minutes after, as Lovejoy was penalized for holding the stick. They had a few shots, but Murray was there to stop them. The Penguins had a bit of a rush late in the period, getting a handful of shots. The score remained the same though, as the second period ended 4-0 in Pittsburgh's favour. New York pressed early in the third, but their offense was stymied. The Ranger's momentum stopped when Miller was called for slashing. The Penguins powerplay was at it again, as Malkin scored his second of the game. New York started to take over the game, desperately looking for something. Murray would not give in though, stopping whatever got through to him. Murray stopped a total of 31 shots in the game, as Pittsburgh shut out the Rangers 5-0.
New York Rangers 3 - Pittsburgh Penguins 6
New York looked to fend off elimination, starting with some early pressure. Their efforts would get rewarded. Girardi's point shot was tipped by Nash and found the back of the net (Murray got a piece of the shot, but it wasn't enough). The Rangers continued to pressure, wanting to expand their lead. It ended up being the Penguins who scored the next goal. Carl Hagelin re-directed a pass from Kessel into the Rangers net, tying the game. This kicked off a mini-flurry of goals. Just 45 seconds later, a loose puck went off Hornqvist's skate and hit Moore on its way past Murray. Pittsburgh got a powerplay seconds later, and took full advantage of it. Less than a minute into the man advantage, Kessel raced down the wing and snapped a shot that hit Lundqvist's stick and went into the net. New York got a powerplay of its own minutes later, but could not do anything with it. Tension between Letang and Nash heated up later in the period, as both would be sent off for slashing. The Penguins had a late rush to end the period, but the game remained tied 2-2 after 20 minutes. Scoeing in the second period happened just over five minutes in, as Bryan Rust was open at the side of the net and beat a diving Lundqvist. It got worst for the Rangers midway through the period. Pressure by Rust caused Brassard to lose the puck. Matt Cullen collected the puck and proceeded to beat Lundqvist glove-side. A minute later, Moore was called for roughing, putting Pittsburgh on the powerplay. New York managed to kill it off though. A bit later, it was the Rangers on the powerplay, as Sheary was called for high-sticking. New York could not capitalize on the man advantage. Seconds after stepping out of the box, Sheary received a pass from Crosby and wired a wrister past Lundqvist. Pittsburgh scored once more before the period expired, as Rust finished off a 2-on-1. Pittsburgh ended the second period up 6-2. That spelled the end for Lundqvist, as for the third time in this series Raanta would take in net. The third period was all New York, as they desperately looked to keep this series alive. A couple minutes into the third, Murray would get called for tripping. He'd then let up a goal on the powerplay he created for New York, as Kreider tipped a point shot over Murray's shoulder. That was the only blemish for Murray in that period, as he was solid the rest of the way. Pittsburgh held on to win the game 6-3. The win was the Penguins fourth of the series, meaning they get to move on to the next round.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- The New York Post can be ruthless, just ask Lundqvist.
- Speaking of Lundqvist, I don't get why they didn't pull him after getting a stick to the eye. Probably a better chance of Raanta escaping the period without letting up a goal.
- It's not unreasonable to think Murray could be the next rookie goalie to lead his team to the Cup.
"Pssst, hey Marc, you're taking out the wrong guy."
Highlight of the Series
This whole shift is great. From Hornqvist's defensive play to Daley-Bonino-Kessel tic-tac-toe goal.
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