PENGUINS FALL TO RANGERS
Power play misses on six chances in loss
NEW YORK — Chasing the game with just 5:35 remaining, the Penguins much-maligned power play had one final chance at redemption.
It had been a miserable road trip with the man advantage. The Penguins entered the game 0 for 13 on the power play and twice allowed shorthanded goals on the trip. The Rangers undisciplined brand of hockey gave the Penguins six more shots to snap the drought, including when Jake Guentzel drew a holding penalty on Julien Gautheir in the waning minutes with the Penguins pressing for a tying goal.
Here it was, an opportunity to end the road trip on a strong note and send them back to Pittsburgh feeling good about … oh, forget it.
In a 3-1 loss, the Penguins drove play at even strength, especially in the first and second periods. But another 0-fer with the man advantage and a late Rangers power-play goal from Chris Kreider undid it. Panarin tacked on a buzzer-beating
empty-netter inside empty Madison Square Garden to settle the score.
“Special teams was the difference in the game tonight for sure,” Jason Zucker, a member of the Penguins second unit said. “Power play. Penalty kill. We all need to be better. We’re going to look at the guys on either side of us and make sure we’re holding each other accountable.”
For the Penguins (5-4-1), fixing the power play was a major point of emphasis this offseason. The Penguins brought in former assistant Todd Reirden with the goal of recapturing the magic that made them one of the most-potent units in the NHL from 2010-14.
It showed promise early. But after the recent slump, they’ve converted a total of 5 of 37 opportunities.
“It looks like we’re looking for a better play that’s not there,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’ve got to do a better job of just putting pucks at the net and then creating our offense that way.”
“We’re in a mindset where we’re a little bit too robotic and predictable. I think we’ve got to just free up our minds a little bit. The best way to do that, in my experience, is to shoot the puck and create opportunity off of that.”
For the most part, the Penguins’ first two periods were some of their best hockey of the season. They got the quick start that has eluded them in the first period, when Zucker scored his third goal of the fourgame series. Kasperi Kapanen breathed life into an empty arena by dropping the gloves at the end of a spirited first period.
But after Kevin Rooney won a jousting match in front of the net to tie the score at 1-1, the flow of the game and the momentum shifted on special teams. The referees called 12 total penalties, giving the Penguins six power plays and Rangers four.
“It just seemed like every few minutes there was another penalty called,” Sullivan said. “Now, you’re either on the power play or the penalty kill. It takes certain guys out of the flow.”
The difference-maker came in the third period. The Rangers goal came on exactly the simple formula Sullivan has preached. Defenseman Adam Fox flung an innocent shot from the point on net. Kreider deflected it. Just like that, two of the Penguins’ better periods were wiped off the board.
While the power play has been a struggle for a year, the penalty kill has been a surprising disappointment this year. If anything, the Penguins have even better personnel than last year when they were quite strong in this area. Kapanen gives them another speedy, tenacious winger.
Mark Jankowski adds a big body to take faceoffs when Teddy Blueger isn’t on the ice.
But there’s a disconnect somewhere. The new concepts Vellucci is trying to install to create a more aggressive kill aren’t clicking. They’ve gone from the seventh-best penalty kill last season (82.1%) to the eightworst (74.3%).
Goaltender Casey DeSmith, making his second consecutive start, was sharp for the most part. He got tagged with the loss in a game he and the Penguins probably deserved better. Inconsistent goaltending and a patchwork defensive corps led the Penguins to fall to third-worst in the league in goals-allowed per game. But, for the most part, DeSmith was a steadying force, stopping 21 of 23 shots.
“Not many catastrophic breakdowns,” DeSmith said. “We protected the slow really well, I thought, tying up sticks and keeping them to the outside. If we can keep doing that, I think we’ll limit the goals against.”
When record-breaking snowfall subsides in New York, the Penguins will travel back to Pittsburgh following one of the more eventful and, frankly, bizarre road trips in recent memory. They’ll return from the two-city swing with 3 points, two more injured defensemen, a new player or two and a missing general manager.
Plus, more than a few unanswered questions on special teams.