Game 6 ended in a 5-3 loss for the Pittsburgh Penguins, forcing a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. The bad news is that the Penguins have had two opportunities to beat the Rangers and both times have failed. The good news is that the Penguins beat themselves exactly as badly as the Rangers did to win. And it's a fixable problem.
We learned throughout the last two games that the Penguins can beat the Rangers even if they are missing a few of their finest players.
The Penguins used a solid game plan to go out to a 2-0 lead in both games. They didn't exceed the Rangers by a large margin in those periods, but they played flawless hockey and accepted what was handed to them.
In both first sessions, the Penguins did an excellent job of keeping the Rangers out of the defensive zone, enabling Louis Domingue to see shots coming in and trusting him to smother any second-chance possibilities.
The Penguins' route to victory was laid out throughout the opening periods of Games 5 and 6. All they have to do now is follow-through.
The Penguins' problems in these elimination games have all occurred after the first period. The second period has been the most crucial in this series, with 26 of the 50 goals scored in the middle stanza. In both elimination games in this series, the Penguins have been on the losing end of that period.
The Penguins were on the back foot from puck drop, even before Evan Rodrigues was called for roughing. With the departure of Brian Boyle, one of the Penguins' premier penalty killers, late in the first period, they were down a forward. The door was open for the Rangers when Rodrigues took his penalty.
Just five seconds into the man advantage, Mika Zibanejad scored his first goal of the series, and the momentum shifted. The Penguins responded with an unproductive five-on-three power play, followed by a botched penalty kill change, which resulted in a Chris Kreider goal, putting the Rangers ahead by one.
Even though it may not appear so, the Penguins outpaced the Rangers at even strength throughout that time. At even strength, the Penguins out-chanced the Rangers 9-6 and finished with 65 percent of the projected goals share, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The entire game would have been different if they had played better on special teams at that time.
The Penguins have an obvious edge if Game 7 is played at even strength. The Penguins' main aim now is to play smart hockey and avoid the ugly penalties that plagued them in Game 6.
The game-winning goal conceded by Louis Domingue with under two minutes remaining in the third period may be the game's abiding memory. Many have been concerned about his penchant to trap pucks between his blocker and glove during this series. With time, more Rangers have begun to aim their bullets high and at Domingue's left shoulder, eliciting this response from him.
It may have been as simple as Domingue's lack of confidence in his high-blocker side, but it lost the Penguins Game 6.
Despite his flaws, Domingue maintained the fort throughout the series. His ability to make the clutch save helped the Penguins create a 3-1 series lead early on, but that aspect of his game has faded in his previous two appearances. Fortunately for the Penguins, Game 7 may bring reinforcements.
Early in the day, Penguins starting goalkeeper Tristan Jarry was declared out of Game 6. He may return with the season on the line, providing the Penguins a much-needed lift between the pipes.
Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, two more injured players, might return for Game 7.
Crosby's injury in Game 5 after a collision with Rangers defender Jacob Trouba turned the series on its head, and his recovery might swing the pendulum back in the Penguins' favor.
With extended shifts in the offensive zone, Crosby has been able to halt the Rangers' momentum and reverse the flow of a period. After missing the second period of Game 5 and the whole second period of Game 6, the Penguins were unable to accomplish so.
The path to victory for the Penguins in Game 7 has been mapped out. The Penguins will be the favorite in the winner-take-all battle at Madison Square Garden, with many injured players returning and their ability to keep the game even strength by limiting poor penalties.
All the Penguins have to do now is connect the dots.
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