Penguins Embarrassed by Skidding Rangers (and Themselves)
“Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that’s what you have here tonight, boys. That’s what you’ve earned here tonight.”
Herb Brooks spoke those inspirational words to the 1980 US Olympic team in the locker room in the moments leading up to their Miracle on Ice conquest of the mighty Soviets. But he may well have been speaking to our Penguins prior to their key Metro tilt with the Rangers last night at Madison Square Garden.
And indeed, they had an opportunity. Several in fact. Opportunities to:
- Take advantage of a shaky Rangers team in the midst of a 1-6 freefall and likely in distress following the trade of captain Jacob Trouba only hours earlier;
- Avenge their sorry season-opening loss to their bitter division rival;
- Move into a playoff spot with a win;
- Make a statement that they’re a team to be reckoned with;
- Extend what had far and away been their finest stretch of hockey this season.
Instead, they:
- Crawled out of the starting blocks and allowed their struggling hosts to dictate play and thus gather momentum and confidence;
- Promptly yielded game-tying and go-ahead goals to the Rangers after being fortunate to score not once but twice on Igor Shesterkin;
- Allowed Artemi Panarin to score with a ½ second left in the second period;
- Allowed Reilly Smith to score…period;
- Allowed odd-man breaks and high-danger scoring opportunities with the frequency of gumballs spewing from a dispenser at a Chuck E.