Rangers galled by lost chance

By JAY GREENBERG
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com
February 2, 2011

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 01: Dustin Jeffrey #15 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores the winning goal in the shoot out against Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on February 1, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Jordan Staal threw the best left hook at the Garden since Joe Frazier dropped Muhammad Ali, putting Brandon Prust out colder than Thunder Bay in February. But two teams that have gone through half their farms to stay solidly in playoff position through brutal runs of injuries know this is the month hay has to be made.

"Just kind of caught me on my sweet spot and dropped me for a second," said Prust. "They checked me to see if I remembered everything and I'm good.

"I think it all was just reaction. I came in and hit [Tyler Kennedy]. He [Staal] came in and stuck up for him, threw a punch and happened to connect.

"Stuff happens on the ice. I was kind of happy he did it. We got a five-minute power play out of it, so thank you."

Already the possessor of a goal and a fight with Deryk Engelland, back to work Prust went in search of one assist for a Gordie Howe hat trick. He plugged through five third-period shifts in hard quest of two points the Penguins and Rangers played in deep fear they might miss come April.

The Penguins, down 2-0 and without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, kept going to the net because with superstars or without, that's where the goals are. Dustin Jeffrey cashed a dumb Kris Newbury elbow to Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury into a power-play goal, Mike Rupp beat Michael Del Zotto to a Max Talbot rebound and Chris Kunitz redirected a Zbynek Michalek point drive.

In a span of 8:42 during of the second period, Pittsburgh had sucked all the joy over the returns of Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky out of the building. And on Jeffrey's goal off Henrik Lundqvist, the only one of a seven-round shootout goal, the Penguins took the extra point, too, 4-3.

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 01: Ryan Callahan #24 of the New York Rangers has his shot saved by Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on February 1, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

"We had a 2-0 lead and have to find a way," said Dubinsky, who after swiping a Marian Gaborik rebound out of the air to Artem Anisimov for the second Rangers goal, couldn't find his way out of the zone along the left boards. Alex Goligoski quickly whipped the puck across ice and Jeffrey's power-play goal started the comeback.

Callahan redirected a Del Zotto shot only 13 seconds before the second period horn to tie the game, then took a brutal cross-check from Kris Letang in the third period. There is time neither to ease back from injuries or cry over them in February, this one beginning with 15 points separating first place and ninth in the Eastern Conference.

If the Rangers didn't pine away the time without Callahan and Dubinsky, the Penguins, now 6-3-1 while Crosby's head clears from a concussion and 3-1 since Malkin suffered a knee injury too, weren't in town to just take in a Broadway show.

"Our guys kept battling back, I'm real proud," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, his goalie's efforts as strong as any Penguin who took or handed out a hit. Seven Rangers shooters tried and seven failed before Jeffrey got one over Lundqvist's pad.

"I hate losing in the shootout," said Lundqvist. "You want two points right now, it's so tight in the standings."

The ninth-place Hurricanes lost, so the Rangers actually wound up a point more safely in playoff position, that and Callahan's tying goal being the Rangers' only consolation for eight game-turning minutes.

There was little space to make plays, less room for error. The Penguins and Rangers started February like they already are running out of time, too.

jay.greenberg@nypost.com