Rangers 4, Penguins 2

Too little, too late. That's the story of this game.

The Rangers staged a jail break against the Pens in the first period. After the shots were tied at 4-4, the Rangers ran roughshod. The shots at the end of the first were 22-6, and the Pens were down 2-1. There's no way you can expect to win on the road when you play a first period like that. It was only due to some good goaltending that the Pens were within one goal.

Things slowed down a bit in the second period, and the Rangers added a third goal on the power play by the latest most infuriating player - Sean Avery (even the name is annoying). That would prove to be enough.

The Pens turned the momentum in the third, but it's tough when you're down by three goals. They managed to make it 4-2, but couldn't get any closer. This was due in large part to the play of Lundqvist. He made several HUGE saves, the biggest of which was robbing Sykora on the doorstep.

A few thoughts:

• It was a great third period from the Pens, but where was that effort the first 40 minutes?
• How do you give up four goals, two of them on the power play, to the Rangers? They haven't been able to score all year.
• Can Laraque please get Avery to fight? Isn't that why BGL is there?
• At the risk of being struck by lightning, one of the early turning points was the double minor taken by Roberts. He lost his cool with Avery and took an extra two. Not good from one of the GOM (Grumpy Old Men).

The Pens are now under .500, and are 2-5-1 in their past 8 games. This is not going well recently.

Next up: The Pens try to break out of their recent slump in the lovely city of Philadelphia on Saturday.