Rangers capitalize to stay alive

Penguins ‘have to be better’ at closing

It would be easy to say the Penguins lost to the Rangers in Game 6 of their firstround playoff series on Friday because Pittsburgh was missing Sidney Crosby, Tristan Jarry, Brian Dumoulin and Rickard Rakell.

Such an assessment wouldn’t be wrong, but it also fails to paint the complete picture ... although it’s doubtful this particular gallery is anything anyone will want to run out and see.

Need a how-to guide on blowing another two-goal lead? The Penguins authored it by lacking discipline at key times and absorbing a sizable loss when it comes to the special teams battle.

“I think I’m probably stating the obvious, but special teams was the difference,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We have to be better.”

After the Penguins played a terrific first period and held a 2-0 advantage at intermission, things came apart starting with Evan Rodrigues taking a retaliatory roughing penalty at 5:00 of the second period.

Yes, Rodrigues absorbed a dirty hit along the boards. He also then got caught with his hand in the cookie jar when he let his frustration get the best of him.

“He’s gotta keep his emotions in check,” Sullivan said. “That’s a necessary part of winning at this time of year.”

So is capitalizing on these types of situations, and the Rangers did exactly that.

Center Mika Zibanejad had a career-high 81 points this past season, and a big reason for his success came with the man-advantage, with Zibanejad also notching career highs in powerplay goals (15) and points (28).

Almost on cue, Zibanejad won a draw, turned and crushed a shot from atop the right circle that beat Louis Domingue at 5:05.

Seventy-six seconds later, Zibanejad teed off from the opposite circle, hammering a feed from defenseman Adam Fox past Domingue for an even-strength marker before winger Chris Kreider notched the Rangers’ second power-play goal of the game.

At 13:48 of the second, Zibanejad zoomed in on a breakaway, and Kreider was right there to bury the rebound, giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

“They’re doing a good job at kind of switching their positions and having different guys in different areas,” Brock McGinn said. “It’s tough for us to read. But we have to do a better job at bearing down and making sure we’re getting pucks all the way down.”

The Rangers are now 5 for 15 on the power play in this series, which is obviously nowhere near palatable for the Penguins. Furthermore, the Penguins haven’t been able to flip momentum quite as frequently when they have the extra man.

Most noticeable Friday was how, amid the Rangers’ second-period push, the Penguins got a five-on-three advantage and did nothing with it. Sixty-seven seconds with two more players than the other team. One shot. A chance to change the game wasted.

Addressing those fiveonshortcomings — something that has plagued the Penguins for a long time, not just this season — Sullivan said it comes down to instinctual play. For whatever reason, they’ve gotten too “deliberate” with their decisionmaking. Opposing teams are figuring the Penguins out.

“We have to [fix] those things,” Kris Letang said. “Simplify. Take shots. Create rebounds, stuff to read where the puck’s gonna go. When you’re five guys on the ice against three, you have to find that rebound and put it in.”

Many of these things might seem secondary on the surface, but when the Penguins have the odds stacked against them the way they currently do, it’s stuff that simply can’t afford to happen.