Penguins Honor the Past, Dominate the Present in Emotional Win Over Rangers
Saturday night in Pittsburgh had all the makings of a classic-emotion, energy, and a whole lot of goals. The Penguins paid tribute to their 2016 Stanley Cup-winning team in a pregame ceremony that brought a visibly moved Sidney Crosby to tears. And then, in a twist of hockey fate, they flipped the script on a familiar storyline.
A Mike Sullivan-coached team gave up a goal on the first shot of the game. Penguins fans have seen that movie before-but this time, Sullivan was behind the other bench, coaching the New York Rangers. And the Penguins wasted no time capitalizing on their former coach’s return, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes and never really looking back in a 6-4 win at PPG Paints Arena.
Don’t let the final score fool you-this game wasn’t nearly as close as it looked.
Pittsburgh has now won six straight and is 13-2-2 since the holiday break ended on Dec. 27. Meanwhile, the Rangers are reeling, having dropped 11 of their last 13.
Fast Start, Familiar Feeling
The Penguins came out flying, and it was their relentless puck pressure that set the tone early. Ben Kindel forced a turnover, Rutger McGroarty fired a quick shot on net, and Anthony Mantha, parked in front, got just enough of it to deflect it past Jonathan Quick just 2:37 into the game. First shot, first goal-a painful echo of the past, but this time the Penguins were on the right side of it.
Less than four minutes later, Pittsburgh’s forecheck struck again. Connor Clifton kept the puck in at the blue line, Connor Dewar batted it out of midair, and Blake Lizotte made a slick feed to Noel Acciari, who buried a one-timer from the left circle to make it 2-0.
The Penguins didn’t score on the power play later in the second, but they made sure to cash in right after. Quick made a highlight-reel save on Rickard Rakell, but Rakell stayed with the play and delivered a spinning backhand pass to Mantha for his second goal of the night at 12:59. Just like that, it was 3-0.
Defensive Dominance
The second period was a masterclass in puck control. Pittsburgh didn’t allow a shot for the first 13:57-and after a scoring adjustment, that number stretched all the way to 18:28.
The Rangers’ only shot of the period was a power play goal that came off a fluky sequence. With the Penguins penalized for too many men during a 4-on-4, Alexis Lafrenière snuck a shot past Stuart Skinner from a sharp angle.
Skinner thought he had it, Lafrenière thought he didn’t-but the puck trickled across the line to make it 3-1.
That was as close as it would get for a while.
Third-Period Surge
The Penguins wasted no time putting the game out of reach in the third. After a Rangers penalty in the dying seconds of the second period, Pittsburgh opened the third on the power play. Quick stopped Crosby from in tight, but the captain tapped the rebound over to Rakell, who hammered it home to make it 4-1 just 1:20 into the frame.
Then came the dagger.
Just 20 seconds later, defenseman Brett Kulak jumped into the rush, blew past the Rangers’ defense, and created a rebound that Acciari buried for his second of the night and a 5-1 lead.
Rangers Push Late, But It’s Too Little, Too Late
To their credit, the Rangers didn’t roll over. Vincent Trocheck scored shorthanded on a breakaway midway through the third to cut it to 5-2.
Then Vladislav Gavrikov ripped a one-timer from the right circle at 15:15 to make it 5-3. Suddenly, a game that felt like a runaway was back within reach.
Pittsburgh’s push for individual milestones was denied when Kindel scored into an empty net at 17:28, preventing both Mantha and Acciari from completing hat tricks. But the Rangers weren’t done-Lafrenière scored again with 1:07 left, and Will Cuylle added a goal with just 10 seconds remaining to make it 6-4.
The Rangers even had an offensive zone faceoff with three seconds left, trailing by just one. But Acciari won the draw cleanly, and that was that.
Between the Pipes
Skinner stopped 15 of 20 for Pittsburgh-not his sharpest night statistically, but he made the saves when it mattered. Quick, meanwhile, turned aside 29 of 34 for the Rangers and was under siege for much of the night.
Penguins Notes
Before the puck dropped, Pittsburgh announced that veteran defenseman Kris Letang will miss at least four weeks with a broken foot. Connor Clifton stepped into the lineup in his place and made an immediate impact, helping set up the second goal with a strong play at the blue line.
The Penguins also took a hit in the second period when Justin Brazeau was briefly forced out after a heavy, unpenalized hit from Rangers defenseman Matthew Robertson. The puck wasn’t near the play, and Robertson was hit with a two-minute interference call.
Evgeni Malkin was a game-time decision after missing Friday’s practice. Both Malkin and Kevin Hayes took warmups, but it was No. 71 who got the nod-and played.
Final Word
This was a night to remember in Pittsburgh, for both emotional and on-ice reasons. The Penguins honored the past, but they also showed they’re very much a team to watch in the present. With Crosby leading the way, the power play clicking, and their puck pressure suffocating, this team is rolling-and if they keep playing like this, they’ll be a serious problem come spring.