Rangers snap Penguins six-game winning streak

This evening the New York Rangers (30-18-7) came to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins (27-18-7) and would leave with a 3-0 victory, padding their lead ahead of the Pens. Midway through the first period, Kevin Hays scored his eighth goal of the season to give the Rangers an early lead.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 34 shots from Pittsburgh, doing a great job in going out and getting the job done. The Penguins missed key opportunities that were a post’s width away from getting a goal.

Early Push

Although down by a goal early, Pittsburgh played very well in the early half of the game. Mishandled passes kept the Penguins from continuing their offensive push.

Pittsburgh’s early forecheck kept the Rangers pitted deep in their own ice, with several mistakes being made. New York was able to recover and not allow the Penguins to capitalize on any turnovers.

Sidney Crosby’s 11-game point streak came to an end. He tried helped setup plenty of chances to circling offensive men, but he was given no support this evening.

Playoffs Looming

The Penguins and Rangers will matchup three more times before the conclusion of this season. Fans are witnessing what a possible playoff series may look like, and it looked exciting, minus Pittsburgh failing to score a goal.

The next three games will be critical to the positioning of the Metropolitan Division. The schedule for Pittsburgh following February will not be easy, and the Rangers will be standing in their way of making the playoffs for the 10^th straight year.

Daley Dinged Up

Trevor Daley, a key part of Pittsburgh’s defense collided with the Penguins’ own net and looked to be in discomfort. He did return to the game for one shift, but eventually left to get examined in the Pittsburgh locker room.

Coach Mike Sullivan gave no update in his post-game conference on his condition and would go on to say that he has not spoken to the medical staff.

Final Words

Pittsburgh played early with some passion and tenacity. However, their spark fizzled out in the second period where they could not find the back of the net. Lundqvist prevented the Penguins from getting in the game at all.

If Daley is to miss more than a few games, Pittsburgh may be in trouble in shifting players around on Defense. There is not too much depth on the team, and if the injury requires Daley to miss more than a week, the front office may have to look externally for a replacement.

What’s Next?

The Penguins will travel on the road to face the Carolina Hurricanes this Friday at 7:00p.m.

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