Rangers ready to forget ‘stupid, selfish’ Game 2 performance
NEW YORK — Ryan McDonagh sat in his stall after Game 2 holding back plenty of anger. A Rangers team that has been undisciplined all season long allowed the Tampa Bay Lightning six power plays — three they scored on — and robbed themselves an opportunity grab a 2-0 series lead.
“It’s embarrassing,” McDonagh said. “ There are a lot of things you want to say right now but talking doesn’t do much. Our guys better figure it out quickly here and realize that stupid, sefish penalties are going to cost us against this team. They’ve got too much skill. Shooting ourselves in the foot from the very first few minutes there is not going to give us a chance to win.”
Tampa’s power play, which has captalized 11 times since the start of Round 2, made New York pay three times on six opportunities, and as the Rangers continued chasing the lead they found themselves on the penalty kill more often than not. They also couldn’t adjust to the Lightning’s much more confident approach compared to that of Saturday afternoon’s performance.
“I think in Game 1 we participated in the hockey game,” said Tampa head coach Jon Cooper, “and in Game 2 we came to win a hockey game. That was the difference.”
The Rangers threw 37 shots at Ben Bishop and he stopped 35 of them, including several high-danger ones that could have turn the game in a different direction. Between the missed chances, the flow-killing penalties and the lack of production at even-strength, there wasn’t a lot to like if you’re New York. Fortunately for them, the series is only tied 1-1.
“I don’t even know what to call this game,” McDonagh said. “I want to get rid of it, get the thought out of my head. I’ve never really seen this group do that before and play that way. We’ve got to find a way to just get back to playing the way we know we can.”
“You just have to wipe it clean,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who’s now allowed five or more goals against the Lightning three times this season. “It’s one game. It’s a tied series. We’re going down to Tampa.”
When the Rangers lost to Pittsburgh in Game 2 in Round 1, they rebounded with a – surprise! – 2-1 victory. After dropping Game 1 to Washington and then Games 3 and 4 to create a 3-1 series hole, they responded and took the next three, including a pair of 2-1 overtime wins.
There’s no panic in the New York locker room after Game 2, nor should there be just yet. Despite the ugliness of the game, head coach Alain Vigneault has seen this movie before.
“[I’m] confident that we’re going to respond the right way,” he said. “We always have.”
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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