New York Rangers Get Iced at the Igloo

From the desk: RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

GAME THREE

Penguins   7

Rangers     4

FINAL

Penalties and Special Teams Continue Digging Deeper Hole

The Rangers played a commendable second period.  However, the other forty minutes were highly questionable, if not feeble.

They commit a cardinal sin right away, allowing a goal within the first two minutes of the first period.  Afterwhich they dig themselves into an even deeper hole, yielding two power-play goals just a little over two minutes apart.  The Penguins then score at 15:15 of the first period to put the Rangers behind by three.

Kaapo Kakko scored his first goal of the playoffs five minutes into the first period, and Filip Chytil and Alexis LaFreniere also notched their first points with the assists.

The Rangers miraculously scored three times in the second period to tie the game at four.  Frank Vetrano and Artemi Panarin scored their second playoffs goals, and Andrew Copp tied the game at the 15:15 mark with a short-handed goal.

However, the backbreaker occurred at 11:02 of the third period when Danton Heinen scored unassisted.

The Rangers naturally pulled the goalie during the late minutes, but the strategy failed miserably.  Not once but twice, the Rangers, with a man advantage, were unable to maintain possession and yielded empty-net goals, both assisted by Sidney Crosby.

After the first period, Igor Shesterkin never made it back on the ice, pulled in favor of Alexandar Georgiev.  That first period is not reflective of Igor's overall performance.  Lest we forget, Pittsburgh's backup goalie Casey DeSmith never made it out of game one.  

The fault for this series deficit lies in the Rangers' special teams, be it the power play or the kill.

... stymied by Louis Domingue?  

I'm not buying that.