PITTSBURGH -- The New York Rangers proved why they were the NHL’s best road team during the regular season in squeaking out a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers took a 2-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal after a game that saw the Penguins only come to life from the middle of the third period on.
The Penguins generated little offense for much of the game and only after they had fallen behind 2-0 did they generate traffic in front of Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Patric Hornqvist netted the Pens’ goal with 6:48 in regulation to make it 2-1 with assists going to Sidney Crosby and Ian Cole. Pittsburgh did mount a serious bid to tie the game in the waning minutes during a four-on-four and then in the final minute of the game, but Lundqvist and the Rangers held off the late charge.
Keith Yandle shook off whatever malady affected him earlier in the day that had forced him to miss the morning skate and offered a strong performance for the Rangers. Yandle sprang Carl Hagelin for a first-period breakaway that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead; he now has three assists in three postseason games this spring for his new team.
The Rangers' first two goals came after questionable non-calls by on-ice officials. Yandle held up Crosby as Crosby was trying to go deep into the Rangers' zone moments before Yandle found Hagelin streaking down the middle. On the second goal, Maxim Lapierre appeared to be hooked during a short-handed rush, but no call was made. And 10 seconds after a crosschecking penalty to Paul Martin expired, Chris Kreider put the rebound of a shot off the end boards over Marc-Andre Fleury’s pad to make it 2-0.
So, the Rangers didn’t technically get a power-play goal and are now 2-for-14 in the series. Not that it mattered on this night. (The Penguins likewise were 0-for-2 with the man advantage after scoring twice on the power play in their 4-3 win in Game 2.)
The Penguins, in spite of playing at home for the first time in this playoff year, had zero offensive zone presence for most of the first 50 minutes. But it was especially obvious in the first period, when they did not register a shot on goal until 4:49 left -- and that shot was of the harmless nature from well outside the blue line.
What’s next? The Rangers and Penguins will clash again for Game 4 at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
