NEW YORK – Creating chances was never the issue.
Unlike the other Pittsburgh team in town, the Penguins provided plenty of run support for their goaltenders during their recent two-game skid. However, as Jared McCann said on Tuesday night after the Penguins allowed 15 goals in two games, their team defense was “leaving the goalies out to dry.”
During a 3-1 victory at Madison Square Garden, the change was noticeable.
The Penguins snapped their two-game skid by getting back to many of the things that helped them become the NHL’s best defensive team in March. Tristan Jarry was sharp. Role players stepped up to provide secondary scoring.
And, more than anything, the Penguins resisted the urge to trade chances, cutting down on the quality and quantity Rangers of scoring looks. They out-shot the Rangers, 32-24. More significantly, during 5-on-5 play, the Penguins produced 11 high-danger chances while limiting New York to just six.
In part because Anthony Angello is dealing with an upper-body injury back in Pittsburgh, Radim Zohorna earned an opportunity on the fourth line for the second consecutive game. He made the most of it.
About six-and-a-half minutes into the first period, defenseman Marcus Petterson zipped a tape-to-tape stretch pass that sliced diagonally through the neutral zone. Zohorna caught it on his backhand and blew past the defenseman. Then, using his big 6-foot-6 frame to protect the puck, he deked goalie Igor Shesterkin and tucked it behind the netminder on the far side.
The goal was Zohorna’s second of the season in just his fourth career NHL game. He’d later add an assist and draw a penalty. He'd earn the first star of the night at Madison Square Garden and made a strong case for a spot in the lineup going forward.
The goal was part of a solid first period during which the Penguins out-shot the Rangers, 13-5, and more significantly they recorded eight high-danger chances while limiting the Rangers to just one, according to Natural Stat Trick.
One of the few breakdowns came on the power play, when the Rangers raced ahead on a 2-on-1. Mika Zibanejad was looking at a wide-open net. But Jason Zucker swung his stick in desperation and knocked the puck out of the air to save a goal.
One of the issues for the Penguins on Tuesday was their penalty kill gave up three power play goals. Less than two minutes into the second period, the Rangers tied the score at 1. With Jake Guentzel in the box, Colin Blackwell found a soft spot in the Penguins’ penalty killing formation.
But just as it looked like the momentum could swing the Rangers direction, the Penguins answered back less than a minute-and-a-half lafter. Kris Letang tossed the pass to the front of the net, looking for a back-door tap-in from Bryan Rust. However, the puck hit a Rangers stick and was redirected into the net, as the Penguins reclaimed the lead, 2-1.
Madison Square Garden has hosted some of the most epic fights. Sam Lafferty- Brendan Smith was not one of them. Smith dropped the gloves and wanted to spar. But when Lafferty lost his footing and the spat turned to a wrestling match and a possible major penalty turned to roughing.
Smith picked up a double minor during the incident, putting the Penguins on the power play. Evan Rodrigues, one of the more noticeable forwards the last two games, cashed in. Jason Zucker passed the puck to Zohorna just to the left of the net. He made a simple pass from the bottom of the left circle to find Rodrigues in the slot.
At the end of the period, Lafferty and Smith got their scrap after all. This time, with some better pre-fight negotiations, the two skaters dropped the gloves off a draw.
Midway through the third, Jason Zucker collected Rodrigues’ pass in the slot and backhanded it home to make it 4-1. That gave the Penguins just a little more breathing room.
They’d need it. New York’s impressive second-year defenseman Adam Fox set up Kevin Rooney in the slot. Jarry came out of his crease and kicked to try to deny the pass. He may have tweaked his leg during the sequence and briefly was looked at by the team’s medical staff. However, he would remain in the game to close out the win.
The Rangers pressed and pinched looking to close the game. But with the goalie pulled, Mark Jankowski hit the empty netter to settle the score.
The Penguins continue their road trip across the river in New Jersey on Friday night to begin a two-game series with the Devils.
