Rangers Score 5 Unanswered in 6-1 Win Over Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins were back on home ice Saturday night when they welcomed the New York Rangers. In their last time out, the Penguins (2-1-0) defeated the Rangers (2-1-0) by a 3-0 score inside Madison Square Garden. In his first game back at PPG Paints Arena, this time on the visitors’ bench, head coach Mike Sullivan led his Rangers to a 6-1 win over his former club.

It’s a night to forget for Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs. Despite a few big saves, he allowed six goals on 30 shots in the loss. Rangers’ goalie Igor Shesterkin wasn’t particularly busy, making 18 saves in the win.

Game Recap

The Penguins opened with a decent start but were ultimately undone by power-play struggles and the Rangers’ killer instincts on the penalty kill. At 7:40, Sam Carrick and Mika Zibanejad linked up for the period’s lone goal. Though they trailed, the Penguins generated a few opportunities to get on the board. They outshot New York 9-4 in the period.

Early in the second period, Ben Kindel tied the game with his first career goal off a clean transition from the neutral zone. The Rangers quickly shifted the momentum in their favor, regaining their lead thanks to Adam Fox’s first of the night at 6:06. New York’s special teams continued to dominate, getting power-play goals from Will Cuylle and Fox for a 4-1 lead heading into the third period.

The wheels fell off more for the Penguins in the third period. The Rangers capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by the Penguins. Adam Edstrom threw a shot on net, which was redirected off of Matt Rempe and into the net. Taylor Raddysh tacked on a sixth goal for the Rangers with just six minutes to go, giving them a 6-1 win. After registering just four shots in the first period, the Rangers exploded for 26 in the final 40 minutes, keeping the Penguins to just 10 in that time.

The Rangers have a quick turnaround as they head to the Nation’s capital to face the Washington Capitals tomorrow night (Oct. 12). The Penguins begin their California trip on Tuesday night (Oct. 14) in a clash with the Anaheim Ducks.