Rangers dig early hole, drop Game 1 to Penguins

Trailing by a goal and on the power play a third of the way into the third period, the Rangers nearly found an equalizer on the attack. But theyturnedit over to to the short-handed Penguins.

Tom Kuhnhackl turned the loose puck into a short-handed goal, giving Pittsburgh insurance en route to a 5-2victory. The Pens put their Game 1 Stanley Cup first round victory in the bank as the two teams prep for Game 2 also in Pittsburgh Friday. Three of the Pens goals came on a Patric Hornqvist hat trick.

Following the short-handed strike in the third the wheels fell off as the lead was expanded by a goal minutes later with Hornqvistsqueakingapuck byRangers goalie Antti Raanta, who allowed four of the Penguins’ five goals.

Hornquvist had four points in the game for Pittsburgh, his first coming on the first goal of the game in the first period. Sidney Crosby followed with a goal in the second giving the Penguins a 2-0 lead early.

Derek Stephan scored New York’s only goal, from Rick Nash and DerekBrassardin the second and added another goal midway through the third cutting Pittsburgh’s lead to two, 4-2.

Lundqvist’s status in net for Game 2 is considered day-to-day. The starting goalie left after the first period with an injury to the eye.