This game started off so well for the New York Rangers. They came out playing hard and the one player everyone hoped would score, did just that. Mika Zibanejad scored his first even strength goal of the season just 1:18 into the game and it looked the winning streak had legs.
Then the Rangers got a power play and could get nothing going, giving the Penguins some momentum. Then it all came crashing down in a 61 second sequence, when the Penguins scored three goals, chasing Alexandar Georgiev and creating a hole too deep for the Rangers to climb out of.
Keith Kinkaid came in to make his Rangers debut and played really well, but this is a Ranger team that cannot come back from a two goal deficit and they were playing a well coached, experienced and talented hockey team. After those three goals, the Rangers were doomed.
The irony is that except for those 61 seconds, the Rangers played the Penguins evenly for two periods, only falling apart in the third period when they were held at bay by the Penguins and they gave up two meaningless goals.
A frustrated David Quinn agreed that they got off to a good start. “I actually thought up until that first goal we were doing a lot of good things, not just the first ten minutes, right up until the goal. ”
After that he said the defense was “way too puck conscious in the neutral zone, not really alert… gave up three or four breakaways tonight because we’re playing the puck and not keeping our body between the net and the offensive player just basic things. ”
He repeated the mantra we have heard so often. “We didn’t work hard enough to get inside and earn our ice. If you’re gonna score in this league you’re gonna get inside and earn it, you can’t just concede someones in the middle and take the path of least resistance…we were way to easy to play against.”
Jacob Trouba returned to the lineup and spoke after the game. He chalked up the loss to a bad two minutes stretch and he gave a lot of credit to the Penguins. “They got a lead and they played a pretty tight game defensively and shut it down and they didn’t give us a ton of chances. When there are two teams on the ice, it’s not just us doing what we want, you’ve got to give them credit for shutting us down in the neutral zone.”
What no one talked about was Alexandar Georgiev who was not at his best. The goals he allowed were stoppable and he deserved to be pulled. Kinkaid actually kept the Rangers in the game with some fine saves and he had no chance on the two goals he allowed, coming when the Rangers were pushing the offense, leaving them vulnerable to the Penguins counterpunch.
The Rangers have some interesting questions facing them as they prepare for Tuesday’s rematch. Igor Shesterkin skated in practice and could be ready to go. If not, does Quinn go with Kinkaid or does he go back to Georgiev?