If the 2014-15 Pittsburgh Penguins season had a tombstone, it would read “2-1”. Their 2-1 loss on Friday night in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden was their fourth loss of the series – all of which came with a 2-1 final, and for the second consecutive year, the Rangers ended the Penguins’ season. The Rangers again got off to a strong start, scoring the opening goal for the fourth time in five games and outshooting the Penguins 12-6 in the first period. It was Derek Stepan that broke through on ... Read More
Penguins visit New York for must-win Game 5
For the first time in the 2014-15 season, the Penguins will play with their season on the line in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals tonight at Madison Square Garden. In 2009, the last year the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, they went 3-0 in potential elimination games. The Penguins will have to match that output in the opening series if they hope to escape from the first round. Since the last Cup run, the Pens have gone just 2-5 in games that they could be eliminated in and are ... Read More
Pens start strong, but fall in overtime
The Pittsburgh Penguins came into Wednesday night knowing that they needed to improve in the poor first period starts that had resulted in no goals and just 13 shots over the first three games. The Penguins turned that trend on its ear in Game 4, scoring the opening goal for the first time in the series, and dominating the Rangers through the first 20 minutes, but came away with just a 1-0 lead. The Penguins’ failure to improve their early advantage was crucial as the Rangers came back to win ... Read More
First period failures standing between Pens, victory
The Pittsburgh Penguins, down two games to one in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to the New York Rangers, do not face a must-win situation in Game 4 tonight at Consol Energy Center. It does feels like one, though. A win would send the Penguins back to New York with the series evened and assured that a pivotal Game 6 would be played on home ice. With a loss, the Penguins will face elimination in Madison Square Garden on Friday, and would have to win three straight games to move on to ... Read More
Another poor start dooms Penguins in Game 3 vs. Rangers
For the third straight game, the New York Rangers scored the opening goal, as they quieted a boisterous Consol Energy Crowd by taking an early lead and taking the life out of the building with a slow, defending style that lead to few scoring chances for either side and a 2-1 victory for the visiting Rangers. The start of the game was especially slow-going. Neither team had a shot on goal in the first five minutes of the game. A pair of Penguins miscues – an Evgeni Malkin turnover while ... Read More
Pressure is now on Rangers as series shifts to Pittsburgh
Pressure makes people do funny things. In the National Hockey League, pressure can make a defenseman whiff as he tries to chip the puck out of the zone, a goal scorer fire a shot high and wide at an open net, or a goaltender blink as a slap shot comes sizzling in from the point. In the NHL playoffs, pressure is everywhere, but some teams feel it more than others. In 2014, the with a Stanley Cup mandate from ownership and the coaching staff’s jobs on the line, the Penguins collapsed under ... Read More
Crosby comes alive as Penguins even series
After getting embarrassed in the first period of Game 1 in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the Penguins were determined to get off to a better start in Game 2 on Saturday night. The Rangers still came out with first period lead, but Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took over, scoring two goals in the second period to lead his squad to a 4-3 victory and evened the series at one game a piece as it heads back to Pittsburgh. The early going was tight checking, with teams combining for just ... Read More
Penguins have a new mindset for Game 2 against Rangers
After a disheartening first period in Thursday’s Game 1 loss to the New York Rangers, the Penguins gained some momentum in the second two periods, keeping the Rangers off the board over the final two frames. For that momentum to continue, the Penguins will have to find a way to have a better start in Game 2 tonight at Madison Square Garden. Penguins defenseman Ian Cole believes that they key lies in more aggressive play in the early going. “I think that’s something where we were a little ... Read More
Pens need production from stars to even series
After a hideous first 20 minutes on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, the Pittsburgh Penguins found a way to play two decent periods of hockey, something that seemed unfathomable after watching their parade to the penalty box in the opening frame. It was a good sign. The first period was so lopsided; it may as well have been scored Christians 2, Lions 0. The second and third periods proved that the Penguins and Rangers do in fact play in the same league. If the Penguins can limit ... Read More
Pens can’t overcome poor start; fall to Rangers in Game 1
The Pittsburgh Penguins' first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the New York Rangers got out to a nightmarish start on Thursday night. The Penguins completed one of the worst first periods in recent memory, giving up a goal on the game's second shot and taking four minor penalties in the first 20 minutes en route to a 2-1 series-opening loss. The home crowd at Madison Square Garden didn’t even have time to sit down before Derick Brassard lit the red lamp behind Marc-Andre Fleury, scoring ... Read More