Playing his first game in more than three months, Crosby was limited to a supporting role against the Rangers, earning one assist, but the rest of the Penguins demonstrated how they had won their previous nine games without him. The Penguins cut the Rangers' lead in the Eastern Conference to 4 points and have one game in hand.
In their quiet locker room, the Rangers refused to concede that the Penguins had made a statement with their dominating victory. Center Brad Richards called the Penguins "a good team." Defenseman Dan Girardi said the Penguins were "a good team" several times.
"They did a good job of coming through our trap with a lot of speed," Girardi said. "They're a good team, but I don't think they're much faster than we are. It might have looked like it tonight."
Matt Cooke scored two goals and Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis each had one for the Penguins. Carl Hagelin and Marian Gaborik scored for the Rangers.
Crosby played his first game since Dec. 5; it was only his ninth since experiencing concussion symptoms after playing back-to-back games during the first week of January 2011. He had an assist on Kunitz's goal to make the score 4-2 early in the third period, but completing the game with his health intact — and flashing glimpses of his sharp skills — was a more profound personal victory for Crosby.
"Everything felt pretty good," Crosby said. "I felt like I could focus on what I needed to do and got more comfortable as the game went on."
Crosby has a 13-game point streak against the Rangers, scoring 10 goals and adding 15 assists for 25 points.
"Sid draws so much coverage on the ice and is so good with and without the puck, it frees the rest of us up and creates scoring chances for us," Cooke said. "I didn't really do a lot for either of my goals tonight."
While Rangers Coach John Tortorella refused to claim this game was any bigger than the others, Pittsburgh Coach Dan Bylsma encouraged his team to embrace the spotlight and the opportunity to gain ground in the standings. The Penguins responded, controlling the puck for long stretches.
"Against a team like Pittsburgh, the more you have the puck, the better it is," said Rangers goaltender Martin Biron, who allowed five goals on 32 shots. "They had the puck a lot more than us."
For the second straight game, the Rangers were without Henrik Lundqvist, who is recovering from the flu and decided Thursday morning that he had not regained enough strength to play. Biron started consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 5-7 last season.
The Rangers were also without two other key players: Ryan Callahan, their captain, who is sidelined by a bruised foot, and defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who has a hip injury.
Crosby made an impact at the outset. His first shift, centering a line with Cooke and Tyler Kennedy, resulted in a goal at 2 minutes 54 seconds of the first period. While Crosby hovered outside the crease, drawing the attention of defenders, Kennedy fired a shot that was deflected by Cooke. The puck hit the post, was fumbled in the air by Stu Bickel of the Rangers and dropped into the goal.
Crosby's line drew a penalty, on Marc Staal for interference, during his second shift.
The line of Hagelin and Gaborik, centered by Richards, has been the Rangers' only offense of late. The line produced all four Rangers goals in a 4-2 win over Carolina on Tuesday and both goals against the Penguins. Assisted by Richards and Gaborik, Hagelin scored from the slot to tie the score at 1-1 at 13:36 of the first period.
The Penguins came out strong to start the second and the Rangers were not ready. Pittsburgh took a 3-1 lead on goals 1:19 apart by Malkin and Cooke early in the period.
"It doesn't take too many chances for them to score goals," Tortorella said.
Gaborik, assisted by Richards and Hagelin, scored his 35th goal at 14:32 of the second period. It gave the Rangers hope, cutting the deficit to 3-2 entering the third period.
But during a shift early in the third, at the end of a power play, Crosby set up Kunitz's vital insurance goal at 3:01.
"That goal was big for them," Richards said. "It got the momentum back on their side."
A goal by Dupuis at 7:35 put the game out of a reach.
"I think we were ready; it was just a couple of misreads," Staal said. "With a team like that, you've got to be sharp for a full 60 minutes and we weren't." Richards said: "We're still in first place. We're still a good team, and we have guys coming back soon."
The Penguins were also sparked by the return defenseman Kris Letang, who was plus-5 against the Rangers in his first game since experiencing concussion symptoms Feb. 29.
"To see everyone come together in a big win like this is obviously a lot of fun," Crosby said.
0 意見:
Post a Comment