Penguins Stumble, Fall to Rangers 3-1

Maybe it was the alternate jerseys that did the trick. In this topsy-turvy, COVID-influenced season where up seems to be down and down is up, the Penguins actually played pretty close to the “right way,” as coach Mike Sullivan is fond of saying. Producing a fairly complete 60-minute effort, or at least as close as it gets these days.

Our boys got off to a strong start, outshooting the Blueshirts, 12-9, in the first frame while grabbing a 1-0 lead. They were structurally sound…no major meltdowns to speak of. They held the talented Rangers to a very manageable 24 shots on goal and dominated the faceoff circle, winning 71 percent of the draws.

And they lost, 3-1. Giving the black and gold a record of 5-4-1 and a tenuous hold on the fourth and final playoff spot in the MassMutual East Division. Which, given their wildly erratic play through the first 10 games of the season, seems just about right.

From a score sheet perspective, there wasn’t a whole lot to write about, especially for the Pens. Midway through the first period, Chad Ruhwedel gathered in a pass from Evgeni Malkin and blasted a rocket from the left point that caromed off the end boards behind the Rangers’ net. Jason Zucker pounced on the loose biscuit and made a nifty backhand-to-forehand move to beat goalie Igor Shesterkin inside the post.

Advantage Pens.

Swimming in uncharted waters, we failed to make the lead stand up. Kevin Rooney tied the score at 1-all late in the second period, his second goal in as many games. At the 11:10 mark of the third period, big Chris Kreider…camped out in front of goalie Casey DeSmith on the power play with nary a Steel City defender in sight…tipped in a shot from center point by Adam Fox for the go-ahead goal. “Bread Man” Artemi Panarin closed out the scoring with an empty netter with one second remaining.

Puckpourri

Malkin and Ruhwedel assisted on Zucker’s goal, his third of the season. The Pens’ top line of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust was pointless and a collective minus-six, with six shots on goal.

Kasperi Kapanen drew the Pens’ first fighting major of the season, tussling with Rangers forward Brett Howden at the first-period horn.

John Marino was a bulwark on defense, logging an astounding 30:30 of ice time. He registered a shot on goal, two hits and a blocked shot and finished plus-one for the evening. Rookie Pierre-Olivier Joseph (four shots on goal, a hit and two blocked shots) was second in ice time with a robust 26:14. P-O continues to shine.

Kris Letang missed the game. He’s listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Brian Dumoulin was shifted to long-term IR…the Pens recalled rookie defenseman Will Reilly from the taxi squad. Replacements Kevin Czuczman and Yannick Weber were a combined minus-two. DeSmith made 21 saves on 23 shots for a .913 save percentage.

The Pens were 0-for-6 on the power play.

Practice Makes Perfect

Our next two games with New Jersey are postponed due to a COVID outbreak, providing Sullivan and the coaching staff with a five-day stretch and an opportunity for some unscheduled but no doubt welcome practice time.

Expect our power play, 23^rd in the league and converting at a woeful 13.9 percent clip, to get plenty of attention. Ditto our dismal penalty kill (74.3 percent).