Rangers 3, Penguins 2 - 12-04-08

PREGAME

-FSN PIttsburgh drops a Photoshop of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin right off the bat as a "two-headed monster:"

(That picture is terrible. Sorry.)

-Not impressed:

(Photobucket)

-The Penguins' scratches are Philippe Boucher and Marc-Andre Fleury.

-The Rangers scratched Nigel Dawes and Dan Fritsche.

-Dany Sabourin and Henrik Lundqvist are the starting goaltenders.

FIRST PERIOD

19:49: Kris Letang gets a quick shot on net that Lundqvist kicks out.

18:17: Ruslan Fedotenko snaps a wrister wide of the cage.

18:14: Hal Gill welcomes Petr Prucha back to the Rangers' lineup by running him over.

17:35: Fredrik Sjostrom's shot is gloved by Sabourin. Eric Godard and Colton Orr exchange their feelings on which was the better Battle of N'Djamena: 2006 or 2008. We think.

17:14: Godard and Orr can't resolve their differences and feel a nice, wild entertaining fight is the only way to settle things:

16:42: Letang fires a slapper from the right wing that hits a body in front.

16:03: Ryan Callahan is sent off for running Petr Sykora from behind.

15:21: Alex Goligoski sneaks in down the left wing on the "Whitney Play" and his shot appears to hit the near post.

14:02: The Rangers play the puck behind the Penguins net and kill off the rest of Sgt. Callahan's penalty.

13:18: Brandon Dubinsky charges into the Penguins' crease the the puck and tries to jam it by Sabourin. Sabourin keeps it out with a little help from the great Mike Zigomanis who flopped to the ice and blocked a potential shot.

12:29: From behind the Rangers' net, Talbot throws the puck into the crease where Lundqvist covers it up.

12:15: Malkin turns and blasts a slapper from the left wing that bounces away from Lundqvist immediately.

11:41: Fedotenko fires a long shot from the neutral zone that Lundqvist knocks away with his blocker.

11:08: Jordan Staal, who isn't a brother as of yet by our count, gets mashed into the boards by Dmitri Kalinin.

9:13: The great Mike Zigomanis whips a sneaky wrister on net from the right wing. Lundqvist is able to kick it out with his right leg.

9:05: Talbot takes a feed in the slot and fires a quick shot that Lundqvist makes a fine save on.

8:50: Tyler Kennedy controls the puck behind the Rangers' net and dishes a feed to Talbot streaking down the slot again. Lundqvist stones him again. Lundqvist has been huge so far.

8:02: Orr knocks over Crosby along the boards.

7:37: Orpik is sent off for defending Crosby. He also gets two minutes for tripping Orr. Orpik gets two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct which is a joke. All he did was nudge Orr after he hit Crosby. The trip is legit. He hooked Orr's legs out from underneath him. The Penguins will be on the penalty kill for four minutes. Michel Therrien is steaming. He yells at the officials then goes to the end of the bench and appears to yell something at the Rangers' bench:

-Either that or equipment manager Dana Heinze bet him he couldn't pick out Ruslan Fedotenko's stick out of the rack on one guess.

7:10: Jordan Staal works the puck into the neutral zone and

6:54: Sabourin knocks down a shot by Markus Naslund. Talbot is there and clears the rebound down ice.

6:42: The Rangers are nabbed for too many men on the ice. Four-on-four.

6:30: Kalinin muscles Malkin off the puck in the corner.

6:04: Dear Paul Stanton!!?! Mark Eaton scored!?!? It's his first goal as a Penguin. Crosby swoops behind the Rangers' net with the puck and dishes a backhanded feed between two Rangers to Eaton streaking down the slot. Eaton snaps a wrister off that beats a helpless Lundqvist on the glove side. It's Eaton's first goal since the 2005-06 season when as a Predator, he scored a tying goal with less than four minutes left in a 2-1 shootout defeat of the Blackhawks. Eaton somehow scored three goals that season which is mindboggling. Who says Crosby needs a scoring winger? He can just set up Mark Eaton all the time. Crosby gets the only assist. Penguins 1-0.

4:51: Talbot fires a heavy shot on net that Lundqvist knocks down.

4:41: The Rangers' penalty is killed off and they will have a power play for 1:06.

3:38: The Rangers turnover the puck. The great Mike Zigomanis takes it, works it up ice and calmly tosses it back down to the Rangers' zone to kill off the rest of Orpik's second penalty. The Penguins are hurting on the power play, but fortunately for them, so are the Rangers.

2:57: Alex Goligoski shoves Callahan into the corner.

2:43: Callahan is getting roughed up. This time, Cooke runs him into the turnbuckle near the Penguins' bench.

1:44: Petr Sykora forces a turnover in the Rangers' slot. Malkin grabs the puck and whips it over the cage.

1:24: Scott Gomez, who if you ask us, sort of looks like Cliff Curtis, the actor who played Bowman in the dreadful "Live Free or Die Hard," is called for tripping.

(Curtis was in "Sunshine" which is probably the best movie you've never seen.)

1:12: Michal Rozsival clears the puck down ice from behind his net.

0:13: Cooke collets a puck in front of the net and whips a backhander that Lundqvist holds out.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Rangers 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-All things considered, that was a good period for the Penguins. They could have a 3-0 lead if it wasn't for Lundqvist bailing out his team, but the Penguins will take a 1-0 lead against one of the best goaltenders in the league.

-The Penguins doubled the Rangers in shots that period, 12-6.

-Talbot led the period with four shots.

-No Ranger had more than one.

-The Penguins were killed in faceoffs, 10-3.

-Goligoski led the period with 8:25 of ice time.

-Paul Mara led the Rangers with 7:37.

-Sjostrom was tops in blocked shots with two.

-Jordan and Marc Staal weren't brothers once that period. Very disappointing.

-The Penguins will begin the second with a power play for 36 seconds.

-Prior to the period, Bob Errey flawlessly segue ways from Luciano Pavarotti to Ken Wregget.

SECOND PERIOD

19:23: Gomez's penalty expires. The Penguins had a very disorganized look on the power play again.

19:10: The Staals are brothers FINALLY!

18:37: Tyler Kennedy rips a wrister wide of the cage.

18:00: Errey brings up the fact that Cooke and Jordan Staal were named alternate captains for December. Everyone else in the media is fooled into thinking this is some "honorary" thing Therrien is doing. We think Therrien is tied into the NHL's marketing department and forcing fans into buying jerseys with "A's" and without them. We're on to you Therrien.

17:48: Aaron Voros is sent off for high sticking.

16:55: Lundqvist eats up a one-timer by Sykora.

16:40: Crosby replaces the great Mike Zigomanis on the power play. Errey speculates Crosby was off the ice for an equipment issue.

15:56: Crosby snaps a pass to Miroslav Satan into the slot. Satan hesitate for a moment and his shot is blocked.

15:48: Voros' penalty expires.

15:38: Daniel Girardi blocks a wrister by Kennedy.

14:58: Malkin charges up ice and tries to split the defense. He almost does it but loses the puck.

14:39: Sjostrom dishes a pass to Prucha on the doorstep but his shot is wide of the Penguins' cage.

13:56: Marc Staal drives a big slapper on net. Sabourin is able to knock it away despite traffic.

13:06: Gomez gets a shot off from the left wing and Sabourin appears to deflect it out of play. During the commercial break, Jordan and Carolina's Eric Staal are brothers.

11:41: Callahan races down the right wing with Eaton trailing Callahan sweeps a shot on net and gets tripped up by Eaton. No call.

11:04: Orr gets in deep against the Penguins and runs into Don Koharski. Orr is able to pull and drag the move on Koharski but misses the net.

10:25: Rob Scuderi scored?!?! Dear Drake Berehowsky!?!?! Actually no, wait, Jordan Staal got credit for it. Geez. Cooke dishes a pass to Scuderi to the at the point. Scuderi fires a wrister toward the cage. Staal's in front and re-directs it a bit and beats Lundqvist. The Staals are brothers and the Penguins have a two-goal lead. Scuderi and Cooke get assists. Penguins 2-0.

9:17: Crosby steals a puck and generates a two-on-one with Talbot against Wade Redden. Crosby dishes the pass to Talbot and his one-timer is blocked by Redden.

9:04: Gomez takes the puck off Redden's block and flies up ice with it. He dishes it into the slot where it gets knocked away. Gomez swoops behind the net, collects the loose puck and circles the offensive zone. From the point he pounds a slapper which Zherdev tips by Sabourin for a goal. That stupid, horrible hideous Rangers goal song blares out damaging the hearing of diabetic handicapped orphans. According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), the song's name is "Slapshot." It should be called "Diabetic, Handicapped Orphan-Hating Song" if you ask us. Gomez and Redden get assists. Penguins 1-0.

7:53: By our unofficial count, Bob Errey uses the "two-headed monster" line for about seventh time combined with Paul Steigerwald and Dan Potash. That's impressive considering the Staals have only been brothers three times, and one of those times involved Eric.

5:49: Crosby gets slammed into the boards behind the Rangers' net by Dubinsky. Nice check.

6:32: Errey mentions Michel Therrien getting a bobblehead from the WIlkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins:

(Photo: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)

5:26: Steigerwald busts out his thesaurus and says Talbot is "a man of satorial splendor." Wow.

4:58: Sabourin denies Redden on a re-direct play.

4:35: Satan tosses a wrister on net that Lundqvist easily kicks out.

4:16: Talbot is called for hooking.

4:05: Chris Drury fights for a puck in the slot, turns and fires wide of the net.

3:40: Jordan Staal dumps the puck into the corner with a backhanded clear.

2:56: Mara has two slappers from the point blocked in front of the cage.

2:23: Malkin dishes a pass to Staal in the slot. He chops a one-timer that Lundqvist is able to slide over for and deny.

2:15: Talbot's penalty expires.

1:33: Crosby rips a wrister from the slot wide of the cage.

1:27: Crosby collects the puck and tries to circle with it but gets thumped to the ice with a nice check by Orr. If Eric Godard is this team's enforcer, why isn't he... you know... enforcing? Godard should've been on the ice almost instantly to protect his team's captain.

0:58: Zherdev leaves a drop pass for Naslund who pumps a one-timer towards the net but Eaton is there to make the block.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 2, Rangers 1.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-This is looking a little too familiar for our tastes. The Penguins build up a lead and allow the Rangers to sneak back into it.. Hmmm...

-Lundqvist has been a machine.

-The Penguins had a 19-15 advantage in shots after that period.

-Talbot still leads the game with four shots. Kris Letang is second with three.

-No Rangers player has more than two.

-The Rangers still control faceoffs, 20-12.

-Blair Betts is 6-for-6 (100 percent).

-Jordan Staal is 7-for-4 (64 percent).

-Letang leads the game with 15:08 of ice time.

-Gomez leads the Rangers with 14:59.

-Letang also leads the game with five blocked shots.

-Dan Girardi is tops on the Rangers with four.

-Goaltending coach Gilles Meloche pulls "assistant-coach-second-intermission-interview-with-Potash" duty:

-Sweet soul patch.

THIRD PERIOD

18:03: Malkin gets shouldered into the boards near the penalty boxes.

17:17: Rozsival takes a pass, moves into the offensive zone, pulls up and tosses a wrister on net that Sabourin scoops up.

16:55: Kennedy fires a big slapper from the right wing that Lundqvist fights off.

16:23: Kennedy takes out Girardi out with a nice check on the boards.

15:49: Zherdev weaves into the offensive zone and dishes a feed to Naslund in the slot. Naslund's shot hits off a body and deflects out of play. Steigerwald and Errey bring up Naslund's early days in Pittsburgh. Thankfully, they manage not to bring up Alek $#&#! Stojanov.

14:21: Fedotenko cruises into the offensive zone and blasts a heavy slapper. Lundqvist has a little trouble with it but is able to cover the puck and freeze play.

13:46: Errey mentions that the great Mike Zigomanis will not return to the game. Bummer.

13:03: Kalinin tosses the puck into the slot where Lauri Korpikoski attempts a re-direct play that goes wide. Good idea on that play.

12:02: Jordan Staal shoves Prucha to the ice along the boards.

11:37: Betts snaps a wrister off from the slot and Sabourin appears to kick it away.

10:12: Pascal Dupuis bangs Kalinin to the ice with a check in the corner.

9:38: Fedotenko sweeps a backhander on net. Lundqvist eats it up. During the commercial break, Eric and Jordan Staal are brothers. Coming back from commercial, all the Staals are brothers. Even Jared Staal, a Coyotes prospect gets a mention. A graphic is displayed. Then on top of that, the Staals are parents! Steigerwald mentions a commecial with the Staal parents that plays seemingly every 10 minutes on NHL Network. FSN Pittsburgh make up for the Staal drought in a big way.

8:34: Crosby makes a dazzling little maneuver by Girardi but it leads to nothing as his pass into the slot is knocked away.

8:28: FSN Pittsburgh jinxes the Penguins by showing highlights of the Penguins' 3-2 shootout loss to the Rangers Oct. 25.

7:58: Letang drives a slapper on net from the right point. Lundqvist kicks it out.

6:55: Crosby steals the puck from Rozsival and dishes to to Satan in the slot. Satan has it on his forehand, the moves to his backhand getting Lundqvist to commit. Satan has a open cage to shoot at high but he tosses a backhander into the side of the net. A player of Satan's abilities needs to score there. Lundqvist might be the best healthy goaltender in the league right now. He won't give you too many opportunities like that late in a game. A two-goal lead with less than seven minutes would've been nice.

6:05: Errey mentions that Tyler Kennedy won't return for the rest of the night.

5:57: Gomez blasts a slapper from the slot that misss the cage. It hits off the backboards and ricochets right to Prucha who bangs it behind an out-of-place Sabourin. Steigerwald mentions that was the Rangers' first shot in 6:43. "Diabetic, Handicapped Orphan-Hating Song" plays. Gomez and Redden get assists again. Penguins 2, Rangers 2.

4:57: Crosby takes a pass just inside the Rangers' blue line, dekes a bit and lifts a backhander by a Rangers defender. Lundqvist is able to fight it off.

4:34: Naslund fires a rising wrister from the left wing that's off the mark.

4:28: Naslund gets another chances and uncorks another wrister from the slot. Sabourin knocks it down and covers it.

4:14: A wrister by Rozsival from the right point bounces wide of the cage.

3:40: Satan drives a slapper from the right point that is blocked.

2:41: Kalinin slams Malkin into the boards behind the Rangers' net but Malkin maintains control of the puck.

2:15: Callahan gives Scuderi a nice thump in the corner.

1:31: Dubinsky blasts a slapper from the left point. Sabourin kicks it out despite traffic.

1:14: Something happens to FSN Pittsburgh's on-ice audio and the play-by-play feed is pretty much the only thing we get for the rest of the period.

0:33: Sabourin fights off a blast from Zherdev.

0:25: We get a good look at Sabourin's creepy baby mask:

0:03: The Rangers make one last ditch rush up ice before the end of regulation. Zherdev gets the puck on the right wing, moves in and fires a wrister from the left faceoff circle. Sabourin comes out far from the net, challenges the shot and knocks it away.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 2, Rangers 2.

THIRD INTERMISSION

-This is way too familiar.

OVERTIME

4:40: Crosby slides a cross-ice pass to Malkin on the left wing. Malkin moves in and fires a wrister that is blocked.

3:37: Jordan Staal and Fedotenko come up on a two-on-one (sort of). Staal elects to shoot low. Lundqvist knocks down his low wrister and covers to freeze play. Naslund was trailing on the play and crashes into the net dislodging it.

2:32: Dubinsky rushes into the offensive zone and dishes a pass to Rozsival on the left wing. Rozsival blasts a slapper that appears a bit off the mark. The puck bounces off the backboards and comes right to Callahan who chips it immediately on net. Sabourin is able to fight off the shot.

2:23: Crosby works the puck up ice and is firmly planted into the ice with a nice body check by Marc Staal.

1:59: Malkin brings it up the right wing, makes a move around Marc Staal that makes him look silly and charges the net. Malkin forces the puck into the slot where Lundqvist kick it out with his right toe. Marc Staal recovers and cross checks Malkin int Rozsival. No call.

1:19: Zherdev dishes a pass to Redden along the Penguins' blue line. Redden drives a one-timer from the right point that Lundqvist eats up.

1:05: Girardi tosses a wrist towards the net. Sjostrom appears to re-direct it wide.

0:16: Crosby dishes a pass to Gill in the slot. His slapper is off the mark.

0:01.6: Rangers coach Tom Renney calls a time out to organize a night everyone can come over to watch "The Dream Team." We think.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 2, Rangers 2.

FOURTH INTERMISSION

-This is way too familiar.

-As Errey and Steigerwald speculate about Sjostrom's abilities in the shootout, he licks the side of his face:

(A reader informs us this is actually Ryan Callahan licking his face.)

SHOOTOUT

-Naslund is first. He glides down the middle, gives a bit of leg kick, moves to the backhand and lifts it by Sabourin on the glove hand. Rangers 1-0.

-Satan is up first for the Penguins. He zips down the middle, fakes a slapper, moves to the backhand also but his shot is denied by Lundqvist.

-Zherdev weaves down the slot, approaches the net slowly and roofs a backhander also. This one beats Sabourin on the stick side and pops his water bottle up in the air. Rangers 2-0.

-Letang needs a goal to keep the Penguins alive. He simply comes down the slot, and burns Lundqvist on the glove side. What a shot. He knocks off Lundqvist's water bottle as well. Rangers 2-1.

-Sjostrom can end it. He goes right down the middle and blows a wrister just under Sabourin's blocker. That was a shot. End of shootout. Rangers 3, Penguins 1. End of game. Rangers 3, Penguins 2.

POSTGAME

-How good would the Rangers be if they had a better offense? The have arguably the best goaltender in the league right now, a stout defense and just enough offense. If all these high-profile signings and acquisitions such as Gomez, Drury, Redden, Zherdev, Naslund, etc. ever started clicking, they could challenge the Sharks as the best team in the league.

-The Penguins are clearly the second best team in the division right now. Granted, they're polaying without Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury, three major components to their success, but the Rangers are clearly a better team than them right now.

-The Penguins aren't going to be winning many games when Mark Eaton and Rob Scuderi are key components to their only scoring plays.

-He didn't look all that great in the shootout, but Sabourin played another solid game. For the most part, he's played well enough for the Penguins to win in most of his games since Fleury's injury.

-The Penguins had a 31-27 advantage in shots.

-Zherdev led the game with five shots.

-Jordan Staal, Fedotenko, Talbot and Letang led the Penguins with four each.

-The Rangers dominated faceoffs, 33-19.

-Talbot was the only Penguin with a winning faceoff percentage going 2-for-3 (67 percent).

-Dubinsky was 8-for-11 (73 percent).

-Letang led the game with 26:25 of ice time.

-Girardi led the Rangers with 24:52.

-Letang also led the game in blocked shots with six.

-Game Summary.

-Event Summary.

-Highlights.