John Tortorella changed his mind about having his team sit on the bench for the Penguins’ pre-game Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony. Instead, the Rangers waited out the festivities in their locker room.
“I think it would have done our young guys good to see the Cup on the ice and watch the ceremony, but it was longer than I thought it was going to be, so it wasn’t right for us,” Tortorella said. “Plus, I don’t think [the Penguins] wanted us there.
“They kind of wanted us out of the way.”
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Marian Gaborik, who scored his club’s second goal, had a game-high eight shots in a game-high 24:26 of ice time. . . . Brian Boyle struggled badly in six shifts accounting for 4:48 and committed a grievous giveaway off which Henrik Lundqvist made a brilliant save. The King, expected to start tonight’s Garden opener against Ottawa, was beaten on two deflections and one point-blank shot by Sidney Crosby.
The Rangers have lost nine consecutive games here to Penguins, including three in the 2007 playoffs. . . . The match marked the first time since 1971-72 that Blueshirts have opened against defending Stanley Cup champions. That opener in Montreal, a 4-4 tie, marked the NHL debut of Guy Lafleur. . . . Last night’s defeat was the Rangers’ first on opening night since 2003-04. The Blueshirts had won four straight openers since the lockout.