With all of the disappointment, all of the failures and mistakes that come with a collective performance like this, where to begin?
How about with Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, speaking Wednesday afternoon.
“Tonight’s game, for us, is as close to a ‘must’ game, in my estimation,” he said. “We need to win.”
Following the 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Penguins later Wednesday night, putting the Rangers against the ropes, down 3-1 in this best-of-seven series, here was Vigneault again:
“It’s a combination of them being real good and us picking a bad night in the playoffs to have a bad game,” he said, his team now having to win Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Friday night to keep the season from reaching an inglorious end.
“For whatever reason, our execution with the puck wasn’t there. I can’t explain it, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We have to go to Pittsburgh and win the next game.”
The things the Blueshirts did poorly in this one are just about limitless, starting with the fact they were credited with 25 giveaways — a number that fails to capture their actual sloppiness with the puck.
Despite the return of Chris Kreider from a fractured left hand, they got just 15 shots at Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who has seemingly played the last three games, all Pittsburgh wins, without impediment or disturbances.
“It’s not acceptable at this time of year,” said defenseman Ryan McDonagh, still a shadow of his regular-season self. “Battle-level, execution-level. But this series is not over.”
It likely will be if Rick Nash repeats his Game 4 performance, turning the puck over on a second-period power play when the game was tied 1-1 and leading to Pittsburgh’s Brandon Sutter slamming in a shorthanded goal.
“It definitely gave them momentum,” Nash said. “It’s a play where I can’t try to make something out of nothing and turn back and take my ice. It’s a tough situation, and I have to be better.”
Just before that, Nash had a great chance to give the Rangers the lead, as Carl Hagelin had just beat Fleury glove-side (of all places), breaking the Penguins goalie’s shutout streak of 145:30 to tie it 1-1, washing out Evgeni Malkin’s goal from early in the first period. But coming up the left wing, wide open at just about the faceoff dot, Nash straight flubbed one, missing the net by five feet.
Asked if this is the most frustrated he ever has been, Nash, without a goal through 11 postseason games, said, “Yes, by far.”
Yet, somehow, the Rangers went into the third period down just a goal. With luck on their side, with the chance to try and steal one when they were getting so horribly outplayed … they got one shot on net in the first 17:34 of the period.
“We got in our own way and uncharacteristically didn’t execute,” Brad Richards said. “And it mounted.”
When Jussi Jokinen scored on a bad-angle turnaround shot that went off of Marc Staal’s skate, giving Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead with 13 minutes left, it seemed over. Six minutes later, though, Mats Zuccarello took a gift from Fleury with a short-sided backhand to cut the lead to 3-2. How could they still be in it?
But less than a minute later it was Malkin, playing like a man possessed — or wearing what two days earlier Vigneault had called “his big-boy pants” — making a great play to set up Chris Kunitz to make it 4-2 and wrap this one up.
The Rangers kept their locker room closed for a short period afterward in hopes of settling themselves down. Because if they don’t, the summer beckons.
“The reason we met is because it can go the other way on anyone just as quick,” Richards said. “The last thing we can do is go home and think it is over. For whatever reason, we’re getting tested right now.”