The Penguins booted the New York Rangers out of the playoffs with a decisive 6-3 victory Saturday afternoon – winning the best-of-seven series in just five games.
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The next test will come from either Washington or Philadelphia. The trio was dynamic at times during Pittsburgh’s first-round evisceration of the New York Rangers, Kessel producing three goals and three assists, including a vapor-trail inducing wrist shot past Henrik Lundqvist in the first period of the clincher that set the stage for a 6-2 blowout.
When the Pittsburgh Penguins were lighting up the opposition for four or five goals on most nights during their late-season surge, the league-wide sentiment was that it would be a different story in the postseason. The 39-year-old Cullen doubled the Penguins’ advantage just over four minutes later when Rust’s aggressive forechecking took two Rangers off the puck and left it sitting there for Cullen to whip over Lundqvist’s glove.
There is a limited no-trade clause in Nash’s contract, where he can block a trade to up to 12 teams which will limit the Rangers.
Now Gorton’s job is to revitalize the roster, to make enough significant changes to start a launch of a new era in NY. When the Penguins’ second-period deluge subsided, Lundqvist spent the final 20 minutes of New York’s forgettable postseason on the bench in favor of backup Antti Raanta. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault called that goal the turning point of the series.
Rust gave Pittsburgh the lead for good by tapping in a pretty feed from Trevor Daley at the top of the slot, the defenseman faking a shot before sliding a pass to Rust at the doorstep 5:21 into the second. Other goal scorers included Bryan Rust (twice), Matt Cullen, and Conor Sheary.
Sidney Crosby said it all depends on how you handle it. “Hen-rik!” at the person most responsible for Pittsburgh’s recent anguish.
Including that it needed fresh legs to complement Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, talented but occasionally mercurial superstars whom the Penguins have struggled at times to surround with the right parts. By the time the second period was over, the hapless Rangers should have been waving their own towels, in this instance white ones of surrender.
So hockey reigned in NY during the spring, like basketball did when Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley and Pat Riley/Jeff Van Gundy made the Knicks great playoff theatre all those years playing the Bulls, Pacers and Heat.
At Madison Square Garden, the Rangers were stymied by Murray and Pittsburgh’s seemingly relentless pressure. Crosby had a goal as his Penguins won, 3-1, to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series with the Rangers.
David Perron scored the tying goal earlier in the second and assisted on Garbutt’s goal.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – David Perron and Sami Vatanen each had a goal and an assist to lead Anaheim over Nashville in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
David Perron, Ryan Garbutt, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler and Ryan Kesler all scored for Anaheim while Frederik Andersen made 26 saves.
Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Ducks.
Game 7 is Monday night.
Tied at two after the first, the Penguins simply skated by the older, slower and decidedly lethargic Rangers.
Lundqvist Holtby Neuwirth/Mason. The Penguins just scored 6 goals against the best goalie in the League.
Matt Murray posted a shutout in that game also.
Chicago trailed 3-1 in the series, but stayed alive with a 4-3 double-overtime victory in St. Louis on Thursday.
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Lundqvist said that overcoming 3-1 deficits in the past means nothing heading into Game 5 at Pittsburgh today.
