Rangers at Penguins - 03-20-11
PREGAME
-Hey, guess where we are:
-No not quite:
-On account of an illness (and NBC starting the game at some ridiculous hour), we're doing today's live blog from home. Our apologies.
-The Penguins' starters are Dustin Jeffrey, Alex Kovalev, James Neal, Deryk Engelland, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury.
-Their scratches are Arron Asham, Eric Godard and Mark Letestu.
-The Rangers' starters are Brian Boyle, Ruslan Fedotenko, Brandon Prust, Steve Eminger, Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist.
-Their scratches are Sean Avery, Martin Biron and Marc Staal.
-Before the game is even started, and even with Marc a scratch, the Staals are brothers:
EN readers Norma Basko spotted a Shawn McEachern jersey:
FIRST PERIOD
16:58: Zbynek Michalek floats a wrister from the right point. Lundqvist knocks it down and covers.
15:22: Paul Martin rips a wrister from the left point. It hits of a stick or skate and deflects on net. Lundqvist is able to glove it.
12:37: Deryk Engelland lifts a wrister from the right point. Lunqvist fights it off with his chest.
11:14: Jordan Staal re-directs a feed to the slot on net. Lundqvist covers.
11:03: Brian Boyle chucks a wrister on net from the left half wall, Fleury eats it up.
8:49: Ryan McDonagh chucks a wrister on net from the top of the slot. Michalek is in front and blocks it.
8:40: From the right wing corner of the Penguins' zone, Ryan Callahan is able to sneak a wrister to the slot. Artem Anisimov has a little space to work with and jabs the puck under Fleury and into the net. What a play by Callahan. Callahan and Dubinsky get assists. Rangers 1-0.
8:02: If NBC is doing a game, you know that means one thing: Awkward invasions of personal space by "Pierre" McGuire:
7:40: Letang chops a one-timer from the left point high and wide to the far side.
4:01: Ben Lovejoy chips the puck out of his own zone to Neal at the red lin eanl taps it to Jordan Staal streaking p ice. Staal gains the offensive zone motors in on ne tand lifts a wrister which squeaks under Lundqvist's blocker and into the net. What a pass by Neal. Neal and Lovejoy get assists the "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 1, Rangers 0.
3:20: Cooke forces a pass to the slot from the rigth wing. It gets blocked. he recovers it and chips it on net. Just as that happens, Maxime Talbot bumps into Lundqvist who is dealing with a stiff neck. The net becomes dislodge. Callahan does a reverse DDT to Talbot. That's two minutes for roughing. Kovalev, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy take the ice.
1:55: From the right circle, Jeffrey taps a backhande pass to Letang at the top fo the slot. Letang
1:18: Just as the Callahan minor expires, Paul Martin has a wrister from the top of the slot blocked.
1:17: Jeffrey is sent off for tripping Anisimov. Talbot, Craig Adams, Martin and Michalek take the ice.
0:08: Adams levels Derek Stepan in the left wing corner of the Penguins' zone.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Rangers 1.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-Maybe it's the early start, but there's one way to describe this game:
-The play for both teams has been sloppy. Ask any hockey player and they'll tell you they don't like these early starts. Thanks NBC.
-The Penguins' power play continues to stink. It just doesn't look organized.
-The Penguins have a 10-7 lead in shots.
-Jeffrey, Boyle, Callahan and Anisimov each lead the game with two.
-Michalek leads the game with 7:48 of ice time.
-Eminger leads the Rangers with 7:16.
-The Penguins have an 11-8 edge in faceoffs (58 percent).
-Talbot is 3 for 4 (75 percent).
-Brandon Dubinsky is 2 for 3 (67 percent).
-Stepan leads the game with two blocked shots.
-NBC has the Lite Brite set busted out for McGuire and Mike Milbury:
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: The Rangers will have 43 seconds of power-play time on fresh ice. Cooke, Adams, Michalek and Martin take the ice.
19:17: Jeffrey returns to the ice. Nothing doing there for the Rangers.
16:55: Talbot snaps off a wrister from the left circle wide to the far side.
16:21: From above the left circle, Martin lifts a wrister. Lundqvist snags it.
15:27: Mats Zuccarello chops a shot from the slot. Letang deflects it out play.
14:32: Kennedy drives a slapper on net from the right wing. Lundqvist fights it off. Staal chops the rebound on net. Lundqvist kicks that out as well.
13:53: Kovalev rips a heavy wrister on net. Lundqvist fights it off with his glove.
12:51: Ruslan Fedotenko has two nice chances in tight but Fleury denies them both with his left leg. Two tough saves.
12:12: Rupp snaps off a wrister from the left half wall to the far side. Lundqvist kicks it out with his left foot.
12:03: Stepan uncorks a wrister from teh left circle. Fleury juuuuust gets a piece of it.
11:34: Dubinsky taps a pass to Girard at the right point. Girard pounds a one-timer. Fleury eats it up.
10:47: Off a nice give and go with Talbot, Cooke jabs a quick shot from the left circle. Lundqvist fights it off.
9:05: Kunitz lifts a wrister from the left circle, Lundqivst knocks it down and covers.
8:17: Off a feed from Talbot off the right wing, Niskane rips a heavy wrister fromt he slot. Lunqvist eats it up.
6:26: Letang snaps off a wrister from above the left circle. Lunqvist is able to trap it to the ice with his left leg.
5:58: Lovejoy booms a rising slapper from teh top of the slot. Lundqvist knocks it down and covers.
5:10: From the left wing corner of the Rangers' zone, Kunitz feeds staal just ouside the left circle. Staal chops it on net with a one-timer. Lundqvist kicks it out.
3:17: Talbot is tripped up in by Michael Sauer on a rush towards the net. Sauer appeared to get the puck before Talbot. That shouldn't be a penalty. But the Penguins will take it. Kovalev, Letang, Jeffrey, Neal and Staal take the ice. Kovalev mans the left point.
1:16: Stepan taps the puck down into the Penguins' zone and kills off the rest of Sauer's penalty. That was a pretty awful two minutes for the Penguins.
1:02: Niskanen rips a wrister from above the left circle. Lundqvist eats it up.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Rangers 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-More of the same that period:
-Things actually picked up a bit that period. There was a little bit more hitting and a few more shots on net but for the most part, play was really stagnant for each team.
-The Penguins' power play is really awful right now. It's not even a threat.
-It's become somewhat fashionable to blame Kovalev for the power play woes, and he was certainly brought here to provide some spark there, but guess what. This power play stunk out loud when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were on it. It's not the players. It's the personnel.
-Lundqvist has been sharp despite not being 100 percent.
-The Penguins dominate shots, 29-14.
-Kennedy and Staal each lead the game with four shots.
-Callahan leads the Rangers with three.
-Eminger leads the game with 17:32 of ice time.
-Letang leads the Penguins with 15:49.
-The Penguins have a 17-16 edge in faceoffs (52 percent).
-Dubinsky is 7 for 10 (70 percent).
-Talbot is 5 for 8 (63 percent).
-Eminger leads the game with three blocked shots.
-Staal leads the Penguins with two.
-EN cohort Ron Michalek spotted a jersey foul. A Paul Coffey Oilers jersey... at the Pittsburgh Power game last night:
THIRD PERIOD
18:22: Neal lifts a nice wrister from the left circle. Lundqvist fights it off.
16:24: Engelland corrals a loose puck at the right point and whips it through traffice juuust wide to the far side.
15:24: And Matt Cooke takes his obligatory stupid penalty. Cooke jabs smacks Ryan McDonagh in the face with his left elbow. Cooke gets booted fromt he game. The Rangers get a five minute major. Cooke deserve at least a 10-game suspension. Conner will serve the major. What a stupid penalty. Stupid. Dupuis, Adams, Martin and Michalek take the ice.
13:34: Thankfully for the Penguins, the Rangers appear to be even more ineptatoen the powerpla. Kunitz steals the puck off Christensen in the neutral zone. He races up the right wingg ains the offensive zone and rips a flutterin wrister to the farw side wby Lundqvist's blocker. What a shot. Its his 21st goal of the season. Not bad for a player who's not a "real" first line winger. The goal is unassisted.
12:06: And the Penguins just can't stay out of the penalty box. Niskanen chops Callahan in the nocw with his stick. Callahan is cut open. That's a "four-minuter. Five on three for 1:42. Talbot, Adams and Michalek take the ice.
10:57: Talbot is able to steal a pass from Stepa and swat it out of the Penguins' zone. Big clear.
10:32: And that was only a matter of time. Vaclav Prospal booms a one-timer from the top of the slot. It hits a body in front. Marian Gaborik is right there on the doorstep and cleans up the garbage punching the rebound over a stretched out Fleury. Dan Byslma is on the bench screaming at officials over the fact that Dubinsky was in the crease. He has a case. Dubinsky and Prospal get assists. Give one to Matt Cooke. The Rangers still have a power play. Penguins 2, Rangers 2.
10:21: And they don't wast time cashing in again. Zuccarello rips a wrister from the slot wide to the right of the cage. The rebound bounces to Callahan on a bad angle on the right wing. Callahan immediatley chops it on net and beats Fleury on the near wide. Fleury was in a bad position there. Christensen and Zuccarello get assists. Rangers 3-2.
9:08: According to Ed Olczyk, McDonagh has thanfully had a shift sicne he was hit by Cooke.
8:04: Jeffrey races up the right wing and snaps off a little wrister five hole. Lundqvist kicks it out.
3:25: After a stagnant five minutes, the Penguins drwa penalty as McDonagh is called for roughing Letang in the right circle of the Rangers' zone. Letang appeared to get away with a punch. This is do or die for the Penguins. letang, Kunitz, Kennedy, Staal and Kovalev take the ice. Kovalev is on the right point.
3:07: Kennedy, Kunitz, Staal and Kovalev each get denied in tight Lundqivst and Girard in tight. There's a scrum afterward. Sauer pretty much choke slams Kunitz.
2:57: Staal has a chance in the slot but has it blocked by Callahan. He gets back the rebound and whips it wide to the left of the cage.
1:22: Neal has a chance on the left wing. His shot is deflected by McDonagh's leg but Lundqvist fights it off with his glove hand.
1:15: Stepan's penalty expires. He comes out of the box and is off on a breakaway. He races in and rips a wrister low. Fleury makes the inital save. McDonagh punches the rebound on net. Fleury makes that save but kicks out a rebound to the slot. Stepan follows up on it and punches it by a helpless Fleury. Game. Set. Match. McDonagh and Anisimov get assists. Rangers 4-2.
1:03: Fleury is pulled for an extra attacker.
0:39: And that's the perfect way to end this game. Callahan steals a pass by Kennedy and pushes it across the ice to Dubinsky. Dubinsky pushes it up ice and air mails a shot from the neutral zone into the cage for one of us:
-Callahan gets the only assist. Rangers 5-2.
0:00: End of game. Rangers 5, Penguins 2.
POSTGAME
-There's not a ton of guessing what went wrong with here. The Penguins had a meltdown in terms of discipline and the Rangers took advantage. The Penguins have had a season-long issue with regards to discipline and for the most part, they've been able to overcome it with an outstanding penalty kill, but today, it was just too much to overcome.
-What do you say about Matt Cooke? Lots of things actually. He's a dirty player. Period. He's a talanted palyer. He's vital to the penalty kill. He's competent with the puck. And he's amazing on the forecheck. But all of that is lost by the fact that he's a dirty player. And today, he was a liablity.
-He deserve a 10-game suspension at the very least. But this is a garage league the NHL. Don't expect more than eight.
-The hit in question:
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-So stupid.
-Another liability for the Penguins is the power play. The Rangers get a major chance on the power play and they score two goals. The Penguins get a few power plays, including one late, and they can barely complete a pass.
-Give credit to Henrik Lundqvist. He came in with a bad neck and played a tough game. He faced a ton of shots and had plenty of bodies crashing in. He fought most of it off and put his team into a position to win.
-The Penguins led in shots, 40-27.
-Staal led the game with six shots.
-Boyle, Callahan and Fedotenko each led the Rangers with four.
-Girardi led the game with 25:25 of ice time.
-Letang was right behind him with 25:22.
-The Rangers had a 25-22 lead in faceoffs (53 percent).
-Adams was 5 for 5 (100 percent).
-Dubinsky was 10 for 17 (59 percent).
-Eminger led the game with three blocked shots.
-Staal led the Penguins with two.