The New York Rangers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, ending their five-game point streak. The Penguins finally won after losing three games in a row. Here is how the game went down.
Everyone knew the Rangers and Penguins game was going to be a thriller and it was.
The Penguins were looking to end their three-game losing streak and the Rangers were looking to keep their point streak going.
The Penguins have lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. Before this three-game slump, the Penguins got points in 17 out of 20 games, 14 of them wins, along with three loses and three overtime losses (OTL).
The Rangers were 5-0-1 in the month of February prior to today’s game. This makes it their first regulation loss in a month when they lost to the Minnesota Wild on January 28th.
The Rangers were more dominant in the first period with 12 shots on goal to the Penguins six. The Pens had more blocked shots (7) than the Rangers (4), but they gave up the puck more.
There was sloppy play on both ends in the second period with the Penguins taking the puck away from the Rangers four times, two takeaways for the Rangers.
There was some four-on-four play with a lot of extracurricular activities going on in the form of physical play. Nobody took advantage of this since it was scoreless after two periods.
The reason why this game is still 0-0 is because of Igor Shesterkin and Tristan Jarry. Both goalies have stopped great chances in their offensive zones. There could easily be some goals on the scoreboard, but Jarry and Shesterkin have stopped everything that has come their way.
The Rangers were looking to add to their point total and increase their lead on the Penguins. This didn’t happen. Instead, the Penguins and Rangers switched positions and it is now up to the Rangers to play catch-up.
Image Courtesy of Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
The Rangers were playing great hockey, having excellent scoring chances and great defense. The difference was the PPG by Evgeni Malkin (8). This play happened, due to Kris Letang keeping the puck in the zone and passing it to Sidney Crosby (34). Crosby did a backhand pass to Bryan Rust (22), who then passed it to Malkin, scoring on a slap shot.
Malkin has returned in January after getting knee surgery in June. He has 19 points since his January 11th return.
Since the Rangers lost, they are now third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Penguins. However, the Rangers have two more games at hand, which can play a pivotal role the closer the end of the season comes.
As the Rangers and Penguins fight for second, they need to watch out for the Washington Capitals, who are not far behind. The Hurricanes are increasing their lead because they just can’t seem to lose, winning four straight.
The Rangers and Penguins have three more games against each other.
The Vancouver Canucks are the next team the Rangers will face. The Canucks are five points out of a Wild Card spot, but they have won two games straight. Will the Rangers brush off the upsetting loss by continuing their fast, hard-hitting game play? Or will the Canucks control the game, inching closer to a playoff spot? Watch the game tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET to find out.
Featured Image Courtesy of Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
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