There were things to feel good about for New York Rangers fans entering Game 3 of the team's Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
Among them: The Rangers would be facing a rookie goalie (Matt Murray) making his first career playoff start, and New York would be getting captain Ryan McDonagh back in its lineup.
Henrik Lundqvist, meanwhile, would be making career playoff start No. 101 for the Rangers, and he was 22-6-3 at Madison Square Garden this season.
But there was nothing to feel good about from a New York perspective after the game. Final score: Penguins 3, Rangers 1.
Frankly, New York laid an egg in this, its biggest game to date this season. Against Murray, the Rangers managed to put only 17 shots on net. Not good enough—not even close.
That's not to discredit Pittsburgh, though. The Penguins could have lost their composure—they were down 1-0 entering the final minute of the second period—but they hung in there and finally solved Lundqvist.
Sidney Crosby's power-play goal with 42 seconds left in the frame turned ...
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Article written by Adrian Dater
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