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The ice-chicken was in the pot getting nicely basted when the kettle tipped over and burned the cooks.Blowing a three goal lead is no big deal to Ranger fans. Heck, this team has blown five goal leads and found away to come back. That's the positive attitude that our Blueshirt heroes will need if they want to stop the march of the Penguins.
The Straka interference call on Crosby with about three minutes remaining in the game was crucial. Rangers people think it was a bad call, the Pens fans, of course, see it as a good call. Here are few reactions to that key play.
MSG hockey analyst Stan Fischler said the Straka penalty call was "terrible."
MSG's Al Trautwig said the call was "questionable."
Seth Rorabaugh at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Empty Netter blog wrote: "It looked like interference by the book to us. Like we said, by the book that's interference. But we will say we've seen a lot worse not called whatsoever this postseason."
Seth also provided a link to the video [at the 1:51 mark].
Lynn Zinser of the NY Times labeled it a "tough call" in her article.
The Pensblog called it interference: "Late in the third, a loose puck was up for grabs. Martin Straka interferes with Crosby trying to get it. Interference is a penalty."
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More from Ranger Land and othersJohn Dellapina / NY Daily News:
Sidney Crosby diving for penalty -- On a night when it was hard for any Ranger to argue that they deserved better than a series-opening loss, the ones willing to discuss it had no trouble arguing that a bit of acting by Sidney Crosby drew the penalty that led to the deciding Pittsburgh power-play goal.
The normally mild-mannered Martin Straka, in fact, argued so strenuously upon emerging from the penalty box and after the final buzzer that he was assessed a game-misconduct penalty at game's end.
"I was just saying he was diving - that was the only thing," Straka said of his protestations to referees Don Koharski and Kelly Sutherland before and after being boxed for an interference infraction well behind a rush the Rangers already had thwarted. "That's what I thought. I was skating, too. I was moving my feet." . . .
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David Shoalts / Globe & Mail:The comeback kids -- After the explosive Penguins fought back from a 3-0 Rangers lead, the game hinged on an interference-penalty call on Rangers centre Martin Straka. He was caught impeding Crosby, who was trying to catch up to a 2-on-1 rush.
Coming into the series, the Rangers complained long and loud that Crosby likes to dive to draw penalties. That made the call on Straka a bitter pill, especially when Crosby set up the winning goal. Crosby took a long slap shot that hit Malkin, who was in front of the net. The puck bounced past Lundqvist, the Rangers goaltender, on a night of deflected goals. . .
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Lynn Zinser / NY Times Slap Shot blog:Rangers Lose a Barnburner on a Tough Call -- The Rangers have plenty of things to blame for their 5-4 loss to the Penguins in the first game of their playoff series Friday night, most self-inflicted, but they took issue with the call that set up the game-winning power-play goal.
Rangers forward Martin Straka was called for interfering with Penguins center Sidney Crosby on a rush started by Marian Hossa. Rangers center Scott Gomez had knocked the puck away from Hossa at the blue line, seemingly thwarting the threat. But on the other side of the play, away from the puck, Straka ran into Crosby.
“I just saw him,” Straka said. “He was diving and that was it.” . . .
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John Dellapina / NY Daily News:Penguins make huge comeback, beat Rangers 5-4 -- The loot was in the trunk and the getaway car was revved. The Rangers were on their way to stealing another series opener. And who knows what kind of psychological blow that might have dealt to a young Pittsburgh Penguins team that has yet to overcome any playoff adversity? . . .
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Larry Brooks / NY Post:Crosby Dives Into Series -- Sid's Not Kidding, Tells Rangers He Doesen't Dive
This was more than your customary vanilla pre-series press briefing from Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. This morning, hours before the puck would be dropped here for the opener of the Rangers-Penguins Eastern Conference semifinal, No. 87 reacted angrily when asked to respond to innuendo from Tom Renney that Crosby embellishes possible penalties and takes dives.
Thursday, Renney, asked if he were concerned about a potential bias toward Crosby, who has been known to embellish in order to draw penalty calls, said he would speak to the series supervisor of officials about a number of topics.
"I haven't changed one bit; I never dove and I don't dive now," Crosby said today with a flash of anger. "That's just part of the playoffs; part of gamesmanship.
"If I go down, it's because I've been forced down. I'll do whatever I can to stay on my feet. I think he (Renney) should be the one worried about diving.". . .
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Steve Zipay / Newsday:Rangers give up 3-0 lead, lose to Penguins -- Understatement of the month: If you want to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, you have to protect three-goal leads.
The Rangers couldn't Friday night, as the Penguins scored four consecutive goals - in two sudden strikes 14 seconds apart in the second period and 20 seconds apart in the third - to erase that margin. Although Scott Gomez's blast tied the score, Sidney Crosby's one-timer from the right boards on a power play hit Evgeni Malkin's leg and flew past Henrik Lundqvist with 1:41 left for the Game 1 winner. . .
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Steve Zipay / Newsday:Penguins plan to ignore Rangers pest Avery -- Avery was on his best behavior and his wrister nicked Fleury's right shoulder and went in the net for his fourth goal of the playoffs and a 3-0 second-period lead.
"I don't have to reel Sean in," Rangers coach Tom Renney said before the game. "I expect him to compete as hard as ever." . . .
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Dubi Silverstein / BlueShirt Bulletin:Rangers Can't Stick to Script -- Just about everything we thought might happen in this series happened in the opening game last night. We just never expected to see it all happen in one game. . .
They have bounced back from adversity like this all season long. So when Gomez said this game is over, it doesn't matter how it was lost , it's on to the next game, one can come away from this knowing that there is still enough left in the Rangers' arsenal to turn this outcome and this series around.
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Janine / Section 404:Round 2 -- The good news is that the Pittsburgh defense isn't all that impressive either, and the Rangers have a clear win in goal. I think we've got a shot. See you all on Tuesday.
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Doug Fischer / Blue Shirts on Broadway:Refs Help Pens Steal Game 1 -- Game 1 between the Rangers and the Penguins was entertaining for sure, unfortunately the Refs played a major role in the final result, a 5-4 Penguins win. If the game was split into 2 sections, you could tell that the first 28 minutes belonged to us but the rest favored the home team. . .
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HockeyRodent:March Of The Penguins -- This will not be a long series, folks. If the
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Lynn Zinser / NY Times:3-Goal Lead Vanishes in All the Excitement -- Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against Pittsburgh was an exhilarating, frenetic match — just what the Rangers did not want. . .
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CBCPenguins win Game 1 thriller -- The Pittsburgh Penguins weathered an early storm and then stormed out to an amazing victory Friday night. . .
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Penquin ScatDave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Star burst: Penguins rally from 3-0 hole, win, 5-4 -- Crosby's slap shot with 1:41 left caroms right off Malkin's skate, turns into winning goal to cap rally from 3-0 deficit . . .
Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Rangers Notebook: N.Y. coach unhappy with late penalty -- The fact that the winner came with his team shorthanded didn't thrill Renney, in no small part because Crosby drew an interference penalty from the Rangers' Marty Straka.
Renney, who indicated before the series started that he was wary of Crosby drawing penalties, perhaps when they aren't deserved, was asked twice about that one.
At first, he stayed silent.
"That's your answer," he said.
Later, he asked, "Did you see it? Draw your own conclusions." ...
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Seth Rorabaugh, Empty Netter blog / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:In no particular order... -- A bunch of material from last night that we're presenting to you in a completely random fashion . . .
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The Pensblog:Gone In 60 Seconds. PENS WIN -- What was going through your head after Madonna [Avery] scored 3:37 into the second period? Were you looking up coupons for golf clubs? Were you making ill-advised comments on message boards?
We don't blame you. Things weren't pretty at all...
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Sidney Crosby: The Diver
---A Pensblogger said, "a reverse reply showed the Habs player put the butt end of his stick up in Crosby's face with a lot of force. But as we're gonna hear a lot, we're just providing excuses."
Here is another look at that Crosby play. The key part is at the end. Use the pause button if you want check it out frame-by-frame.
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ICINGS:Blights in White Satin [courtesy The Pensblog]:
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