Penguins drop game 3 to the Rangers, 2-1

Penguins drop game 3 to the Rangers, 2-1

The Penguins came out flat in a Game 3, 2-1 loss to a spirited New York Rangers team that came out all guns blazing. The Penguins looked flat and struggled to get a hold on the game until a late reply in the third period to close the gap to one goal. The Penguins going into this game were on a high after a excellent performance in Game 2 in the 4-3 win. Fleury again played well but was let down by a poor defensive performance in front of him.

One thing that was noticeable in the game was the lack of a consistent or effective breakout plan by the Penguins. The  Rangers had an answer to the Penguins seemingly dumping the puck at every available opportunity instead of carrying it into the zone. This is part of the reason as to why it took the Penguins just over 15 minutes to get their first shot on goal and had just 11 shots through the first two periods.

Another reason for the low shot count is the Penguins seeming insistence on passing instead of shooting sometimes. There were a few prime examples in the past two games, mostly on the powerplay, where players have passed up opportunities to shoot. Scuderi is one example in Game 3 where he had a clean chance at a point shot but passed it to a defenceman on the boards. Crosby also had a great chance in Game 2 on the powerplay which he passed up. The Penguins need to take more chances. In all the Penguins effort was noticeably increased in the third period and if they had played the whole series like that it could easily be 2-1 to Pittsburgh heading into Game 4.

At the other end of the ice the Penguins defence went to sleep in the first gifting Carl Hagelin a simple chance which he took despite Fleury's best efforts. The Penguins went for a change and the two defenceman parted like the Red sea leaving a clean lane for Hagelin. Without any pressure there was plenty of time for him to pick his spot, which he did, five hole. I think criticising Fleury for anything in this game would be unfair, he has been the goalie we expected him to be so far. Aside from the first goal in the series which was scored off a bad rebound he has looked solid.

 After the game there was a bit of a ding-dong between general manager Jim Rutherford and the Trib beat write,  Rob Rossi.  Rossi isn't popular amongst fans due to his seeming infatuation with Bylsma and Shero and also a very pessimistic view of the teams through even good times. Not to mention that the local paper seems to be very aggressive against the Penguins sometimes. As evidenced by their recent "lost stars" cover before Game 2.

Rutherford is quoted as calling him a "f*****g jerk" whose "opinion is s**t". I don't think many people would disagree but for some reason Rossi decided to make this part of an article after the game which is unneeded. As Dejan Kovacevic mentioned, it was an off-record comment and not something that will get you great favour telling tale to the masses.

All in all, the series isn't over. If the Penguins can use the same drive and effort in the third period then this has the chance to be tied going back to Madison Square Gardens on Friday.