It was hard not to notice: Derek Dorsett just sitting there at the end of the bench, watching as his team put forth the most intense performance of the season.
The Rangers won on Sunday night at the Garden, beating the Penguins 3-1 in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series, setting up a Game 7 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. But Dorsett got on the ice for just one shift in the second period, and zero times in the third, playing a total 3:43.
“In the second period, we had a couple power plays, [we were] penalty killing, and he sat on the bench a long time,” said coach Alain Vigneault, who began answering the question on Dorsett by saying he was not hurt. “I didn’t want to throw him out there cold, so I decided after the second period to just roll with 11 forwards.”
Dorsett has played the past two games, coming in for another physical fourth-line winger, Dan Carcillo. Citing his chemistry with linemates Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore, Vigneault said he knows what he needs out of his fourth line — and it doesn’t include Dorsett’s penchant for neutral-zone turnovers.
“Those three guys are hard workers,” Vigneault said before the game. “They know that’s how they got to the NHL, and if they want to stay and continue their career, they’re going to do it one way, and that’s with hard work and gritty work, and they understand that.”
The Rangers’ power play went 0-for-6 over 10:03, somewhat washing out their redemptive 2-for-3 performance in Game 5. Those two goals are the only two the Rangers have scored in their past 45 attempts, taking them to 5-for-53 in the postseason.
“I thought the power play had some decent looks,” Vigneault said, “and with a little bit of puck luck, it would have showed.”
Vigneault kept John Moore in on defense for the second straight game in place of Raphael Diaz. Moore played 13:25, got one shot on net and blocked three shots.
Late in the second period, Moore was hit with a floating Brandon Sutter turnaround shot, and it bounced off his shoulder, off the leg of blue-line mate Kevin Klein, and past goalie Henrik Lundqvist to give the Penguins their only goal of the game.
Penguins’ rookie defenseman Olli Maatta didn’t participate in the morning skate, but he was able to play. … Pittsburgh’s top-four blueliner, Brooks Orpik, remained out for the second straight game, having missed seven of the past eight with undisclosed injuries. He was replaced by Robert Bortuzzo, who has continued to struggle in keeping up with the pace.