Henrik Lundqvist #30 celebrates with Ryan McDonagh #27, Anton Stralman #6 and Brian Boyle #22 of the New York Rangers after beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1in Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on May 13, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)
– Rob Scuderi can be blunt.
The veteran defenseman’s willingness to take an objective look at his team’s play is often refreshing – and eye-catching – in an era of platitudes and clichés.
So it should come as no surprise that Scuderi had a pretty succinct summary of the Penguins’ 2-1 Game 7 loss to the Rangers.
“I felt we did everything we needed to do tonight except put another one past him,” Scuderi said. “Plain and simple.”
The Penguins couldn’t solve Henrik Lundqvist in what could turn out to be a franchise-altering loss. But in the process of trying to beat the Rangers’ goaltender, they played the style of game that Dan Bylsma has preached throughout his entire tenure.
The Penguins had a Corsi For percentage of nearly 65 percent, meaning they attempted nearly two-thirds of the game’s shots. They hemmed the Rangers in their own zone for long periods. They peppered Lundqvist with 36 shots, often launching those shots through traffic parked in front of the netminder.
The Penguins dominated on faceoffs and won races to pucks. But they also made a series of costly mistakes, mental lapses that seem to be the hallmark of the team since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009.
Those mistakes haunted them. There was Matt Niskanen’s whiff on a shot that led to a Rangers’ odd-man rush. The Penguins’ forwards didn’t get back on defense fast enough, and Rangers forward Brian Boyle scored on a tic-tac-toe play to give New York a 1-0 lead.
“I fanned on a key pin at the blueline and they get a 4-on-2 out of it,” Niskanen said. “They made a nice play to finish it.”
There was James Neal taking a penalty in the offensive zone midway through a Penguins power play to negate the advantage. There was Niskanen again, caught behind his own net, taking a costly penalty against Derick Brassard.
“I knew it right away,” Niskanen said. “I tried to close on him quick and had my stick on the ice so he can’t pass to the slot. He crosses his feet and my stick got in his feet and he goes down.”
And as the Penguins tried to kill Niskanen’s penalty, Brandon Sutter’s pass for Brian Gibbons on a shorthanded chance went wide, spawning another Rangers’ odd-man rush that ended with Brad Richards scoring what proved to be the game-winner.
With Lundqvist in net stymieing the Penguins at every turn, a one-goal lead was enough, no matter the Penguins’ effort.
“We had guys diving and putting their faces into the crease, trying to will it into the net,” Niskanen said. “He was good.”
A couple of costly mistakes, seemingly small plays, ended up being the decisive ones.
“One little play, one little inch, one save,” Niskanen said, “that’s what it comes down to.”
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