Rangers blown out by Penguins, 8-3
Photo credit: AP | Pittsburgh Penguins' Max Talbot, top left, slides a first-period goal under New York Rangers goalie Steve Valiquette (40). (November 28, 2009)
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Nov. 28: Penguins 8, Rangers 3
PITTSBURGH - On the heels of a no-show in Tampa, John Tortorella said the Rangers need to decide what kind of team they are going to be.
If last night was the Rangers' response, they've made the wrong choice. They gave up three goals in a 3:52 span late in the first period and made too many mistakes trying to play catch-up in an 8-3 loss to the Penguins that featured Sidney Crosby's hat trick - on Penguins baseball cap giveaway night, no less.
It wasn't the heartless performance from Friday, but there certainly was no consistency to the Rangers' attack or defensive-zone play, just a bushel of Penguins goals and more humiliation against their division rivals, who visit the Garden Monday.
Michal Rozsival brought them within 4-3 just 33 seconds into the third with his first goal in 41 games dating to Feb. 22. But 2:41 later, Steve Valiquette handed back a two-goal lead when he misplayed the puck right to Evgeni Malkin and then tripped getting back to the net.
Crosby banked a low-angle shot off Valiquette for the goal, and the Rangers' goaltender compounded it at 7:20 by whiffing on Pascal Dupuis' point shot.
It was over then, though Penguins pest Matt Cooke caught Artem Anisimov with a forearm to the head that somehow drew only an interference minor but should get a look from NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell.
Things went from embarrassing to pathetic late in the game. Donald Brashear attacked Cooke and got a double-minor for roughing; Crosby completed his hat trick and Tyler Kennedy added another for an 8-3 lead. Ryan Callahan fought Cooke straight up eight seconds after the Penguins' last goal, but one minute later, Sean Avery went after the pacifistic Ruslan Fedotenko and got 17 penalty minutes to none for Fedotenko.
Back when it was a game, Matt Gilroy wristed a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 3-2 Pens with 5:17 left in a strong second period for the Rangers.
But in the final 10 seconds, the Rangers on the ice - Rozsival, Michael Del Zotto, Vinny Prospal, Chris Higgins and P.A. Parenteau - inexplicably got lazy while waiting for the horn to sound. Brooks Orpik skated in unmolested for a shot that went wide, but the puck went around to Mark Eaton, whose wrist shot got through traffic, off the crossbar and in with 0.4 seconds left.
Del Zotto had a hard night, on for the first five Penguins goals, even if he wasn't exactly exposed on any of them. After Marc Staal's rush and nifty backhand gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead 8:50 in, Crosby and the Penguins took charge in that short span of time.
First, Sid the Kid outmuscled Gilroy behind the Rangers' net. Malkin swept in the rebound of Crosby's shot to tie it with 5:23 left in the first.
Then came two in 46 seconds. Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Chris Drury and Callahan all were in decent position to break up Alex Goligoski's solo rush while the Pens changed. Girardi did that, but the puck went right to Crosby and all the Rangers were flat-footed as Crosby wired a wrist shot over Valiquette's shoulder for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead.
Drury was the culprit on the third goal, abandoning the middle of the ice to join Del Zotto in chasing Crosby along the off-wing boards. Max Talbot was all alone and beat Valiquette for a 3-1 lead after one period.
