New York Rangers Woes Continue With Penguins

New York Rangers Hot Start

After Saturday’s disappointing loss in Detroit, the New York Rangers immediately flew back to MSG where they hosted the Penguins on Sunday.

The Rangers had three days off before they played Detroit on Saturday. One would assume that a team with three days of rest would look fresh and composed. However, as we know, the Rangers did just the opposite. They came out flat, sluggish and sloppy and ended up losing to Detroit in OT.

Well, as irony would have it, after the Rangers lost in Detroit, less than 24 hours later they flew out of the opening face-off like bats out of hell. However, the Penguins tallied the first goal of the game at 11:56. Patric Hornqvist scored on a wrist shot and was assisted by Crosby and Letang.

Before the period expired, the New York Rangers scored to tie the game at one. Chris Kreider was able to sneak the puck by Marc-Andre Fleury. The tip-in was a byproduct of a terrific passing display that was created via solid neutral zone play. The goal was assisted by Stepan and Klein.

Second Period Collapse

The New York Rangers played with speed and tenacious physicality throughout the first period. This came to an abrupt end.

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The first period compared to the second were night and day. The Rangers only recorded two shots on goal the entire second period. They didn’t deserve to enter the third period with a chance to win, but they did. They were able to score a single goal in the second. However, the Penguins put two more goals on the board. The Rangers entered the third period trailing Pittsburgh 3-2.

The third period started off with a bang. Only a second into the final 20 minutes of play, Chris Kreider dropped his gloves and squared up Chris Kunitz. The scrap seemed to light a fire under the Rangers. The New York Rangers captain, Ryan McDonagh, scored the tying goal while Kreider was in the penalty box. The wrap-around goal was assisted by Fast and Miller and for a second momentum seemed to swing in the Rangers favor.

This momentum was short lived. The Penguins scored about five minutes later off of an extremely lucky “shot” from behind the net. Matt Cullen is credited with the goal, but he should really be thanking Marc Staal for the point. Cullen was fighting for possession behind the Rangers net when he started to fall to the ice. As Cullen attempted to regain his balance, he threw the puck to the front of the net where Marc Staal’s skate deflected the puck right by Lundqvist.

At this point the Rangers were down 4-3 and with less than a minute left to play, Crosby found the back of an empty net to seal the deal.

The New York Rangers Are Missing Something

There is no real explanation to answer how or why the Rangers seemed to play two totally different games yesterday. They came out in the first period looking like a team that was ready to impose their will on the Penguins and by any means necessary win the game. Then they went dark, they fell off the face of the earth and were no where to be found during the second and first half of the third period.

Next: Rangers Can't Hold Lead, Drop OT Decision

There is no valid excuse to justify how the Rangers played the last two periods of the game. Something is missing from their game. It isn’t talent, it isn’t size, it isn’t speed, it is a will to win. The ability to play with a sense of urgency just is not there. If the New York Rangers want to make a run, and become serious Cup contenders, they need to play like every game is their last. The front office moved all in with the addition of Eric Staal. The ball is now in the players court. A reality check is needed.