The New York Rangers refused to lose Thursday night. And now they’ll head back to Pittsburgh down 3-1, but still very much alive in the Eastern Conference semifinal. Although, to be fair, the Rangers beat the Penguins for the fifth time in six games this season at Madison Square Garden. Things are a tad different at the old barn in downtown Pittsburgh.
You could easily have left the Rangers for dead after Game 3, but New York played with toughness and heart Thursday night and shut out a very good Pittsburgh team that didn’t back down from the Rangers sometimes ugly aggressiveness.
I still think Pittsburgh wins this series, but give the Rangers credit, they aren’t going to go down without a fight. Literally.
New York was sandpaper tough Thursday night and because of that, they won a hockey game that many people didn’t expect them to win. Pittsburgh, after all, was 7-0 in the playoffs heading into Thursday night’s Game 4 and they’d just manhandled the Rangers, 5-3, in Game 3.
Last night, however, Rangers coach Tom Renney found his good sense and dressed goonish Colton Orr. Orr played only three minutes and change, but his presence always makes the Rangers tougher. And Thursday night, one of the toughest players on the ice was Jaromir Jagr.
Jagr, who hinted on Tuesday night that Thursday night’s soiree could very well have been his last, scored two goals and dished out an assist, and played as gritty as he has at any time in his career. Don’t believe for one second that Jagr is going to retire. That snippet at Tuesday’s post-game news conference was nothing more or less than gamesmanship. Jagr has never played a better all-around game than he’s playing now and besides, he needs the gambling money.
With Jagr at the top of his game, with Orr smiling mischievously on the bench and with Henrik Lundqvist kicking out everything shot at him (29 saves), the Rangers were clearly the better team on Thursday. But the Penguins showed some jam, as well. Especially Sidney Crosby.
Everybody in a blue shirt took a run at Crosby and yet the Penguins captain kept playing hard. He was the toughest hombre in a white jersey and he proved to the Rangers that he won’t be intimidated.
Crosby will be especially tough on Sunday afternoon back in Pittsburgh. And that’s why I still think the Penguins win this series.