Rangers' quick start not enough in emotional loss to Penguins

PITTSBURGH — Remember the Rangers’ seven-game victory over the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs last season? 

Pittsburghers haven’t forgotten it. 

That’s why the Rangers played in a very hostile environment on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. Chris Kreider tried to quiet the crowd with a goal 22 seconds into the game, but the Rangers still saw their seven-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 loss. 

Hot goalie Tristan Jarry (13-0-2 in his last 15) stopped 26 shots. The Rangers also hit the post three times.  

The Penguins had a seven-game winning streak end in their previous outing. So the first meeting between the Metropolitan Division since the playoffs promised to be a good one and it was. 

The Penguins leapfrogged over the Rangers by one point for third place in the division. 

“I thought we played a great game,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “We worked hard, we competed hard. You come in here and played a real good team over there. The game was a tossup.” 

Igor Shesterkin (21 saves) stopped Jake Guentzel on the Penguins’ first shot of the night and Rickard Rakell on the ensuing rebound and the Rangers came down and challenged Jarry, whose ankle injury was a key factor in the playoff series.  

Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck fed Kreider, who beat Jarry with what may have been an attempt to pass to Trocheck rather than a shot.  

The Rangers hit two posts in the first period (Trocheck and Jimmy Vesey) and were 0-for-2 on the power play. They went into the second with a 1-0 lead. 

Filip Chytil, who was knocked out of Sunday’s game in Chicago on a hit in the second period, became the third Ranger to hit a post early in the second. 

The Penguins tied it on Evgeni Malkin’s power-play blast over Shesterkin’s left shoulder at 14:24 of the second. K’Andre Miller was off for interference.  

The Penguins have at least one power play goal in 10 straight games. It was the first time in six games the Rangers gave up a power play goal. 

Penguins fans started chanting “Igor, Igor.” 

Bryan Rust gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead on a deflection with 12.7 seconds left in the second for Pittsburgh’s second power play goal. Sammy Blais punched Brock McGinn in front of the Penguins bench and was called for roughing. 

Coach Gerard Gallant, who called the penalty “a little undisciplined,” kept Blais glued to the bench for the rest of the night. 

Sidney Crosby made it 3-1 with a pretty backhander at 8:40 of the third. Kreider got the Rangers back to within a goal at 10:03. 

“I thought it was a pretty good game by us,” Ryan Lindgren said. “Got a little sloppy there in the second. Took a couple penalties. Obviously, they’ve got a pretty good power play and made us pay a little bit. But it was a pretty good game by us. They’re a team that’s going to make you pay when they get their chances, and we couldn’t just find one there at the end.” 

Folks in Pittsburgh were jazzed up for the return of Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, who knocked Crosby out of Game 5 of the playoff series with a hit that was called headhunting here. Trouba was booed every time he touched the puck. 

"Guys never forget experiences like that," Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph told DK Pittsburgh Sports on Tuesday. "It's definitely a bittersweet feeling after a loss like that. Redemption time is tonight." 

But Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t buying into any redemption angle. 

"Last year was last year," he said. "This is a new season. This is an important game for us against a division rival that we're going to battle for a playoff spot all year." 

The Rangers, who trailed 3-1 in the series, won it on Artemi Panarin’s overtime goal in Game 7. 

The Rangers have one more game before the Christmas break when they host the Islanders on Thursday. 

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.