Just like that, the Penguins took a 1-0 lead in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series en route to a 5-0 win and a 3-1 Eastern Conference series lead against the New York Rangers.
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After a 5-0 drubbing in Game 4 of their first-round series at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, the Penguins hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Unfortunately for the Rangers, home ice didn’t do them much good in Game 3 or Game 4, losing 3-1 in their first playoff home game and then 5-0 the next time out.
Throw in the fact the power play scored three times Thursday and has six goals in three games since Malkin returned from injury and the Penguins appear unstoppable.
Malkin got one that counted just four minutes into the second period, however, as he hammered a slap shot past Lundqvist from above the left circle during a power play to make it 4-0.
The Penguins tied it at 1, with under a minute to go in the period on a power play goal be Sidney Crosby.
Murray, who made 16 saves, didn’t have to do much to preserve it; the Rangers mustered just four shots on net in the final period and were unable to generate anything in the final minute with Lundqvist on the bench for an extra skater.
It’s hard to determine who to credit for Tuesday’s Game 3 Penguins victory against the Rangers in NY. It means that Henrik Lundqvist and Co. may have played at MSG for a final time this season with the series heading to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Saturday. They won the two earlier games in the series in Chicago and also won a late-season game there.
“Our biggest issue was we wouldn’t make any plays with the puck”, said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault.
“A win is a win; it feels good”, Murray said.
More prominent players scored by before the game ended, but there is nothing like a little secondary scoring to get things going and loosen the pressure valve that is the playoffs.
Some of the names have changed since the Penguins blew a 3-1 lead to the Rangers during their second-round series in 2014, but otherwise it’s a carbon copy.
“I know I can help the team”, Malkin said.
“I think it was real important”.
Heading into Tuesday night the Penguins got the majority of their goals from the usual suspects – Hornqvist, Crosby and Kessel. The Penguins are a confident group that is rolling, but they need to use a killer instinct to not let this series linger longer than it should.
He added, “we just have to man up to the situation here and realize that this was not good enough”.
In game four, nine players had points in the game from guys like Malkin and Crosby to guys like Conor Sheary and Eric Fehr.
The only way this happens though is if the Rangers manage the puck well, play with speed and get A+ goaltending.
The Penguins had a possible fourth goal, on a wraparound by Malkin, disallowed at 16:35 because Kunitz, who was grappling with Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh, was ruled to have impeded Lundqvist.
Put aside all the talk about being a Stanley Cup contender again: The Rangers are now on the brink, one loss from being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. “At least in the third period, we didn’t give them anything”, right winger Patric Hornqvist said.
Zatkoff was outstanding in his first National Hockey League playoff game.
This might be the best they’ve played all season.
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McGuire asked the Rangers’ coach about his team’s compete level and what it was going to take for the Blueshirts to give more of an effort in the game.
