Neither the Pittsburgh Penguins nor the New York Rangers started the beginning they wanted when the NHL resumed the league on Saturday. Both teams will have a second chance on Sunday when the Rangers visit Penguins.
Rangers, who are four points back by the Ottawa senators and Detroit Red Wings for an eastern wild card, fell behind 5-0 after a period in an 8-2 loss at Buffalo Sabers. In the meantime, Pittsburgh gave five straight to the Washington Capitals, as a 2-2 game turned into an 8-3 route on Hemsis.
Rangers ahead JT Miller, who helped on both goals Saturday, said he expected the team to have a little rust coming out of two weeks break for the 4 nations’ face off. But he said that the riders “left the goals hanging to dry.”
Playing less than 24 hours later gives them a chance to quickly move on from the blowout.
“If we wake up the game tomorrow, we will be in trouble,” said Miller, who Rangers acquired from Vancouver Canucks on January 31. “I think we’ll be a responding group tomorrow.
Miller now has six points (two goals, four assists) in six matches for New York. Chris Kreider scored his 17th goal of the season on a power play in the loss. It gives the Wing, which has spent his 13-year career in Manhattan, 116 goals with the man’s advantage and binds him with Camille Henry for the Franchise record.
Unlike Rangers, Pittsburgh fell not far behind immediately on Saturday. In fact, coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that he liked how his team played through the middle of the second period. At that time, the penguins were down a goal but exceeded the capitals and upwards significantly in attack zone time.
Then Sullivan regretted that he began to see mistakes similar to those that the team made during the season’s opening month, when a six-match losing line (0-5-1) left them at 3-7-1 after their first 11 games.
“We chased crimes, and when you chase crime and you do not have a recognition of risk reward, you stop giving your opponent easy crime,” he said. “And as a result, that’s what we get. We beat ourselves in so many different ways. It’s the most disappointing part.”
Penguin’s captain Sidney Crosby played Saturday despite being regarded as a decision about the game to give him some rest after representing Canada in the four nations. He scored his 18th goal of the season. The goal that banded the game at 2, also gave him 610 in his career and binds him with Bobby Hull for the 18th league.
With the loss to Washington, the penguins remain at 55 points. There are three behind Rangers. However, Sullivan’s team is currently ranked in the Metropolitan Division and is only four points ahead of Sabers, who lives in the conference cellar.
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