On the brink
There’s no more margin for error as Penguins try to duck elimination
NEW YORK — The Penguins already teetered on the edge of disaster this year, when they nearly were eliminated from the postseason heading into Game No. 82 of the regular season.
What’s another night of that? Or three?
The Penguins trail the New York Rangers, 3-1, and need to win three games in a row to avoid losing in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2012.
It’s a tall task, considering the previous time the Penguins won three in a row was Dec. 15-20, with victories against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers.
Game 5 is at 7:10 p.m. tonight at Madison Square Garden.
“You can’t look at the whole thing. You just have to look at the first part of it,” defenseman Rob Scuderi said . “For us, it starts with a good first shift, leads into a good first period, a good second period, a good third period. And, hopefully, win a game. It’s all we’re trying to do is go on the road and try and win one game.”
That was the message of coach Mike Johnston who assembled his team Thursday morning in the locker room at Consol Energy
Center before they boarded a charter flight. He asked his players to raise a hand if they had been in a playoff series before either down, 31 or up 3-1.
“Almost half the room had been in that type of series before,” Johnston said.
He then told a story about one year in Vancouver, when he was an assistant coach.
“I remember clearly when I was in Vancouver. We went into St. Louis and won Game 5. And all of a sudden St. Louis had to pack their bags and come back to Vancouver,” Johnston said. “They really didn’t want to. They wanted a couple extra days to get ready for the next series. A few guys got sick, got the flu. We won Game 6, we won Game 7. The series can change so fast. So fast. A lot of our players have been through that. Those are the experiences you need to draw on.”
The Penguins were in the opposite position a year ago in the second round when they were up, 3-1, on the Rangers but lost in seven games.
The Penguins previously exited the playoffs in the first round when they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012.
Goals have been at a premium all series.
New York has been everything the Presidents’ Trophy winners were billed to be. They have speed, depth, goaltending, a strong transition game and a stifling defense. Other than a less than threatening power play, the Rangers appear built for a playoff run.
“I think it’s the team we were expecting. We know what they’re capable of and how good their guys are,” defenseman Paul Martin said. “For the most part, we haven’t given them too much in our own end, especially the last game and a half. They thrive off turnovers and getting their ‘D’ up in the rush.”
The Penguins finally got a strong start in Game 4, took a one-goal lead and nearly put away the winner in the third.
They cut down on the penalties that hamstrung them in Games 1 and 3.
The effort was there for 60 minutes of regulation, and 3:14 of overtime.
“The great news for us is we don’t have to change a whole lot. We’ve done a lot of good things, we just have to find a way to get a win and get home,” Sidney Crosby said. “The reality is we have to go there, win one and have our best game of the year.”
“It’s certainly not a question of effort,” Scuderi said. “It’s not the situation you want to put yourself in. But you just have to be calm and take it one thing at a time. I know it’s a boring cliche, but it’s really the only way to approach it.”
Scuderi said the team had a discussion late Wednesday night.
“It stings. You play a pretty good hockey game, and we lose in overtime. It stings,” he said. “But you have to find away to move on. You’ve got to win four.”