Last night due to a snafu without our babysitter, I wound up taking my daughter to the Penguins game against the New York Rangers rather than my wife and 2 month old son. She is still toilet training and wearing pull ups which, with about 5 minutes left in the first she proudly told me she had wet through and needed changed. With the score 1-1 we got up at a stoppage in play and went to the bathroom. Just as I was finishing changing her the horn sounded and the crowd erupted letting the few of us in the mens room before the intermission rush that the Penguins had just taken the lead. Barely a minute later as I finished packing up the diaper bag the horn sounded again and the crowd erupted again. It was now obviously 3-1 Pens and as we walked out of the restroom the usher was watching the monitor above the door.
I asked who scored the last two goals and he informed me that it had been Crosby (13) and Talbot (1). I remarked saying it was about time because Valiquette for the Rangers had looked shaky for the 15 minutes of the period that I had a chance to watch. I said that there would be a lot more.
How right I was. Although apparently the hosts of the post game show on 105.9 disagreed with me and thought that Valiquette played well but his team had quit on him, it was obvious to anyone that was watching the game that the Rangers back up goalie was not playing at all well and would be no match for the Penguins now mostly health lineup.
But like the day before against the Islanders, a game which the Penguins let slip away, it was clear that the Rangers were not going to go quietly. Early in the second period Matt Gilroy (4) scored to cut the lead to 3-2. Then with 3/10ths of a second remaining in the period Mark Eaton (3) found the back of the net after the Penguins refused to just dump the puck and concede that a one goal lead headed into the third would be enough.
That was a good thing as just 0:33 into the third period former Penguin Michal Rosival (1) beat Fleury to make it 4-3. That however woke up the sleeping giant as the Penguins poured on the offense for the rest of the game. Sidney Crosby (14, 15) scored twice more for a hat trick on, surprisingly enough, a night where the free giveaway was hats and Dupuis (7) and Missssterrrrrrrrrrrrrr Tyler Kennedy (6) added two more goals for an 8-3 victory.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped just 22 of 25 shots on a night were despite holding the net well he often looked like he was scrambling and uncertain.
Towards the end however the Rangers gooned up taking any Penguin they could find with them for a scrap. And of course Sean Avery had to get involved taking a solo fighting major, game misconduct and instigator penalty with just over six minutes remaining in the game to put the Penguins on the power play for the remainder of the contest. However the Penguins really did not seem all too interested in racking up more goals and were obviously content to control the puck and run down the clock.
It was all a sad spectacle from the Rangers (13-12-1) considering that they have a chance on Monday night to settle scores as the Penguins (18-9-0) visit them in New York.
Notes:
Chris Bourque was scratched to make room for Tyler (Mister) Kennedy in the starting lineup following his return from injury. Bourque is playing on borrowed time it seems with the Penguins. He plays hard and is aggressive but he has only managed 3 assists in 18 games and is a -4 with the Penguins this year despite playing along side of some of the premier players in the league. How much longer the Penguins keep Bourque on the active roster when there are other talents in the minors making a case for playing time is anyone’s guess.
