Derick Brassard #16 of the New York Rangers scores a goal in the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Six of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 11, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK — Emotion, passion, heart, whatever you want to call it, that only goes so far. Sustaining it for 20 minutes is difficult, maintaining it for three games in a playoff series? Near impossible.
In the end, talent usually wins out. I’ll take the Penguins’ chances.
That, more than anything, is why the Penguins should survive this second-round series against these New York Rangers, who have suddenly found inspiration in Martin St. Louis’ personal tragedy and rediscovered their game in the process. Yes, despite Sunday night’s 3-1 loss at Madison Square Garden the Penguins are still the better team. That should sort itself out Tuesday night in Game 7.
Between now and then, though, the Penguins have some serious soul searching to do. Collectively, they might want to make some room on that chair next to Marc-Andre Fleury at the goalie’s sports psychologist.
The Penguins’ growing problem in this series, the last two games in particular, is the same as it’s been in their previous postseason failures the last four years. Arguably one of the NHL’s most elite clubs is weak mentally. It’s a crisis of confidence. How else to explain the maddeningly schizophrenic Penguins? “It’s tough, we need to learn from tonight, learn from our mistakes,” said Fleury, who for a second straight game, wasn’t at his best. “Not many times can you lose two games in a playoff and still be even.”
Save for the first few minutes of Game 1, the Penguins put together four of the finest games they’ve played in months. Yet, what’s transpired since is confounding. Sure, this series should be long over but, really, should we have expected anything less from the drama kings of the NHL?
OK, a blowout loss in Game 5 like Friday’s was somewhat understandable. Try as they might, it’s almost human nature to suffer a letdown after dominating Games 2 through 4 in the fashion they did. What happened Sunday night, however, falls into the inexcusable category. Blowing two chances at eliminating an inferior opponent should never happen.
Coming out flat at best, unprepared at worst, and allowing two goals in the first 6:25 is never advantageous; especially in a series where the team scoring first has won each time.
Bad bounces happen, sticks break, pucks go off a defenseman’s leg and in your net. Frustrating to be sure, but those same things happened to the Rangers, too. Yet no team becomes spectacularly unglued quite like the Penguins.
While their latest collapse is most similar to their 2011 meltdown when they blew a 3-1 lead against Tampa Bay, their third-period shenanigans were vintage 2012 when they were humiliated by Philadelphia and their lack of goals from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin – nearly $20 million in combined salary – is straight out of the 2013 sweep in Boston.
“It’s a bit frustrating, no doubt,” said Rob Scuderi. “When you fall behind that quick it can put you back on your heels. We’re a team that won a lot of games in the regular season, had injuries constantly (and) found a way to keep playing games. We won our first round after being a little shaky confidence-wise. I think if we stick to it, have faith in each other and stick together, I like our chances.”
I do too, but it should have never reached this point. Scuderi, who rejoined the Penguins this season after a four-year hiatus in Los Angeles, went to Stanley Cup finals in 2008 and ’09 in Pittsburgh. Those Penguins teams had confidence. This team is scarred by its recent past.
With the series now tied 3-3, the Penguins are out of mulligans. The Rangers have shown heart, the Penguins have talent. Maybe the Penguins can learn something from their opponent.
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