There would be no elimination-game magic for Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers this year.
After four consecutive postseasons of often playing their best when their proverbial backs were against the wall, the Rangers’ 2015-16 season ended with a thud Saturday.
Rookie Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Rangers with a 6-3 victory in Game 5.
Pittsburgh won the series four games to one after losing to the Rangers by the same series score in the first round last season.
The Rangers came into Saturday’s game hoping for a repeat performance of their 2014 playoff series against the Penguins, when they came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to beat Pittsburgh in seven games. Having won 15 of the past 19 games in which they faced elimination, the Rangers had reason to have confidence they could do so again. After all, Lundqvist had a 1.50 goals-against average in those games.
But these Rangers are not the same Rangers as the teams that reached the conference finals three times from 2012 to 2015. And this Lundqvist is not the same Lundqvist.
He failed to finish a game for the third time in five outings this series, which began with him being knocked out Game 1 after getting hit in the eye by a teammate’s stick. The Penguins peppered Lundqvist for 10 goals over his final four periods of action. His backup, Antti Raanta, played the third period Saturday after he played the final 33-plus minutes in Game 4 Thursday.
Lundqvist allowed only eight goals in the entire series against Pittsburgh last season.
While Lundqvist was not sharp in Game 5 — four of the goals were unscreened but well-placed shots— the breakdowns by the remade defense corps in front of him were not any help.
Coach Alain Vigneault pulled out all the stops. He brought back veteran Dan Girardi, who had been out of the lineup since Game 1 because of a “whole body” injury.
Vigneault also elected to dress seven defensemen, turning to Raphael Diaz, who had not played in an NHL game all season. (Dan Boyle, 39, was a healthy scratch in what was likely was his final game; he said in the fall that he planned on retiring after the season.)
Diaz and Girardi rewarded those decisions by each assisting on one of the Rangers’ goals. Girardi’s shot 62 seconds into the game was deflected in by Rick Nash. Chris Kreider got a piece of Diaz’s similar shot from the point during a power play in the third period.
Dominic Moore had made the score 2-1 just past the midway point of the first period, the puck going in the net after ricocheting off several Penguins.
But the Rangers’ final lead of the series lasted only 64 seconds until Phil Kessel’s slap shot from the right circle smacked off the shaft of Lundqvist’s stick and into the far top corner of the net.
That made Pittsburgh 8-for-20 on the power play in the series to that point.
The Rangers’ inability to handle the Penguins’ advantages in speed and skill were most striking on special teams. The Rangers were unable to overcome the opponent they had beaten as many as any over their run of postseason success the previous four years.
The Rangers won eight playoff series over the previous four years, advancing to three conference finals and the 2014 Stanley Cup finals.
Now, with many in their core aging, some will wonder if this is the end of an era. Nine Rangers who played in this series are 30 or older; two more will turn 30 before the start of next season.
NY Rangers 2 0 1—3
Pittsburgh 2 4 0—6
First Period—1, NY Rangers, Nash 2 (Girardi, Skjei) 1:02. 2, Pittsburgh, Hagelin 1 (Kessel, Bonino) 9:50. 3, NY Rangers, Moore 1 (Fast, Staal) 10:35. 4, Pittsburgh, Kessel 3 (Crosby, Letang) 11:39 (pp). Penalties—Skjei, NYR (Boarding), 10:42; Malkin, PIT (Tripping), 12:42; Nash, NYR (Slashing), 15:16; Letang, PIT (Slashing), 15:16.
Second Period—5, Pittsburgh, Rust 1 (Daley, Cullen) 5:21. 6, Pittsburgh, Cullen 2 (Rust, Kuhnhackl) 9:26. 7, Pittsburgh, Sheary 2 (Crosby) 16:18. 8, Pittsburgh, Rust 2 (Malkin) 19:01. Penalties—Moore, NYR (Roughing), 10:26; Sheary, PIT (High sticking), 14:01.
Third Period—9, NY Rangers, Kreider 2 (Diaz, Brassard) 5:38 (pp). Penalties—Murray, PIT (Tripping), 4:58.
Shots on Goal—NY Rangers 14-11-16—41. Pittsburgh 11-12-5—28.
Power-play opportunities—NY Rangers 1 of 3. Pittsburgh 1 of 2.
Goalies—NY Rangers Raanta 0-1-0 (5 shots-5 saves), Lundqvist 0-0-0 (23-17). Pittsburgh Murray 3-0-0 (41-38).
A—18,607 (18,387). T—2:35.
Referees—Wes McCauley, Francis Charron. Linesmen—Ryan Galloway, Brad Kovachik.
Categories: -Sports-
