Stanley Cup playoffs Penguins slow start Game 3 loss isnt ju

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PITTSBURGH Theres a compulsion on the part of hockey players and fans alike to blame lo ses on what doesnt get done. We didnt make them work. Wilson Ramos Jersey We didnt get to our game. We didnt do this. We didnt do that.
It happens more often than it doesnt, to the point that hearing what Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist had to say after his teams 2-1 lo s to the Rangers qualifiedas refreshing. Hornqvist was Pittsburghs best forward during most of the 60 minutes, though for the first two-thirds of that, it didnt matter much.
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The Rangers, trying to avoid falling down 2-1 against a snake-bitten, injury-ravaged team that dragged itself into the Stanley Cup playoffs, outshot Pittsburgh 7-3 in the first and 12-8 in the second. Attempted shots at 5-on Matt Duffy Jersey -5 were 29-19 New York.
New Yorks 2-0 lead after 40 minutes was a bit of a gift; Carl Hagelins opening goal game after a questionable non-call and a terrible change, and Chris Kreiders made it 2-0 on another swallowed whistle, but the Penguins didnt have any standout chances to answer, either.
I didnt like our shot selection early, and it probably carried through the first half of the game, Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston said.
Hornvist gave credit where it was due; it wasn't just about the Penguins stopping themselves.
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They did a hell of a job of being in our face the first two periods. We didnt have much time and space out there, and we didnt get the puck to the net, either, Hornqvist said.
They played really good. We cant just always say we didnt play good enough. We have to give them credit, too.
The irony of the situation is that any chance Pittsburgh seemed to have coming into the series was based on its ability to drive 5-on-5 play more effectively than the Rangers. So far, despite Andrew Kittredge Jersey three one-goal games and an overall feel that anupset could be brewing, the Rangers are holding an overall advantage at even strength. If that continues, the upset will cease to brew.
, a 2-1 win, they outshot Pittsburgh at 5-on-5 by a 31-23 margin. In Game 2, Pittsburgh held a 15-10 edge in that category, with the Rangers making up the difference on the power play, generating 13 shots and a goal on seven opportunities.
Not coincidentally, New York . By Monday, theyd tightened things up, taking advantage of Pittsburghs inability to turn Chaz Roe Jersey a defensive core that features two AHL players and a second pairing that should be a third into a reliable breakout.
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We were much better in the neutral zone (in the first two periods of Game 3), defenseman Marc Staal said. Our back pre sure was good. Our gaps were better. So it allowed us to play our game and cause some turnovers, which werent doing much of last game (a 4-3 Pittsburgh Mallex Smith Jersey win).
I think we were giving them trouble through the neutral zone for the most part. We were smart with the puck when we had it. We were making some good plays and getting some good opportunities there.
In the third period, Pittsburghs breakout came together, and chances followed. Hornqvist scored with 13:12 left in the game during a pre sure-filled shift. Pittsburgh generated 13 shots to New Yorks seven and nece sitated some big saves from Henrik Lundqvist, but their goal production stopped at one.
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Given a chance to blame the officials Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle hooked Maxim Lapierre to set up Kreiders goal, and power plays on the series arent close to even Hornqvist scoffed.
Oh, I don't know about that. I didnt see (mi sed calls). We just have to keep going, he said.
He knows, though; its not just up to Nick Anderson Jersey them. The other guys are trying, too.
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John Short, Jr