New coach, same Rangers.
Opening night was a dud, far too reminiscent of last winter’s dismal campaign.
Mike Sullivan replaced Peter Laviolette on the bench, but it was hard to see much of a difference from last year’s team that failed to reach the postseason for the first time in four years.
The Rangers weren’t sharp for large stretches of this 3-0 loss at a quiet Garden against the Penguins, their new coach’s former team.
They whiffed on two power plays, couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities and were fortunate that numerous own-zone giveaways didn’t result in more goals.
New captain J.T. Miller looked rusty after appearing in just one preseason game due to a lower-body injury.
Igor Shesterkin (27) saves kept them in the game, but the Rangers could never get even against an aging opponent that is projected to be one of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference this year.
The shutout marked the first time the Rangers were blanked in an opener since the 2020-21 campaign, a 4-0 loss to the Islanders.
Justin Brazeau scored twice for Pittsburgh, the second on an empty-netter, and Blake Lizotte added another empty-netter in the final minutes.
The subpar effort led to a dreary crowd that was at its loudest when Aaron Judge’s game-tying, three-run homer for the Yankees was shown on the scoreboard. There was even a “Let’s go Penguins” chant at one point in the second period.
The first period ended in poor fashion, similar to so many periods last year. After a fairly strong start, the Rangers allowed a goal just 32 seconds before the first intermission. Vincent Trocheck lost a faceoff in his own end, and Brazeau got behind the Rangers defensemen, beating Shesterkin up top for the first goal of the year at the Garden.
It was a poor finish to the first 20 minutes, although there were things to like for the Rangers. They fought off a power play. They were sound defensively. They had some quality chances, in particular Mika Zibanejad all alone in front on a feed by Will Cuylle that he left wide. The Rangers were physical, producing 13 hits and won nine of 13 faceoffs. One of the four they lost hurt them.
The second 20 minutes were disjointed. There were poor decisions with the puck, but also a sustained strong finish that was a big part of the 13-shot period. The best chance again belonged to Zibanejad, on a Penguins own-zone giveaway. But he was stopped short-side. Pittsburgh nearly added to its lead late in the period, when Ville Koivunen got behind the Rangers defense, only to hit the right post. Artemi Panarin began to make his presence felt, drawing a Kris Letang tripping that gave the Rangers their second power play of the evening.
The Rangers, however, couldn’t do much with that man-advantage, and were unable to muster much in the final period, either. They heard boos as the final seconds ticked away, an ominous start to the season.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
