Hartnett: Rangers Need To Figure Out How To Escape Penguins' Trap

By Sean Hartnett
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Penguins rookie goaltender Matt Murray is on a roll, but the Rangers did very little to test the 21-year-old in his playoff debut.

Murray was forced to make just 16 saves, including only four in the third period, in the Pens' 3-1 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Murray did not have to deal with a lot of traffic, because the Rangers didn't get enough bodies to the net. They rarely tested him with second-chance efforts and the majority of their shots came from the perimeter.

Although Murray closed out the regular season with seven straight victories, he was never really under duress. It should be intimidating for a young goalie to make his playoff debut at the Garden, what with all the butterflies and nerves. But a lack of high-danger chances generated by the Rangers allowed him to settle into the game and get comfortable.

Granted, the Rangers did plenty of things right in Game 3. They played with the right amount of urgency, physicality and defended well. What they needed was a Plan B on offense. When the Penguins went into full trap mode, the Blueshirts kept skating into a yellow, black and white buzzsaw.

Known for their creativity and elegant puck movement, the Rangers needed to switch to a more simplified approach to test Murray. Their 17 shots on goal were a season low.

"More so than anything, we did a terrible job of getting through the neutral zone," alternate captain Derek Stepan said. "That is exactly the reason why we didn't get a single look the whole third period.

"Playoff hockey, it's a real simple game," Stepan added. "It's get it to the red line and get it deep. That's how you're going to get it in their zone. They have four guys in the neutral zone. You're not going to get it through pretty. You have to get it in deep and work as a five-man unit to get it back."

The Rangers' struggles against the trap are nothing new. Flash back to April 7. On the eve of the playoffs, Stepan admitted this was an issue that needed to be addressed following a 4-1 home defeat to the Islanders.

They say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

"In the third, we've got to learn to play against a trap like that," Stepan said after that game. "It's going to happen a lot now going forward because everyone's in the playoffs, they get a lead and everyone's shutting it down. So, that's something that tomorrow we'll take a look at and communicate about and that's something that is going to be big for us."

Despite the defeat Tuesday, there were some positives for the Rangers. Marc Staal and Kevin Klein put in expert, shutdown performances. Rick Nash was able to break through his playoff struggles on home ice by turning on the jets to score the Rangers' lone goal, his first career postseason short-handed goal.

Rookie blueliner Brady Skjei put in another very confident, composed performance and switched seamlessly between the left and right side. More importantly, his defensive partner, Ryan McDonagh, returned after missing five games due to a right hand injury.

The Rangers' captain was re-examined by doctors on Tuesday afternoon before being cleared to play in Game 3. What should be very encouraging for the Blueshirts faithful is McDonagh logging a team-high 22:48 of ice time and recording five hits.

"It was great to see him back," goaltender Henrik Lundqvist said of McDonagh. "I wish we could have had a better result, though. ... Right now it's disappointing to come home after a really strong performance in Pittsburgh. But it's the first (team) to four (wins). They've always been good on the road and we have to respect that and we have to come back with a really strong performance from 21 guys here in the next game."

This series still has a see-saw feel to it and McDonagh will have the chance to make a huge impact once he's fully back to speed.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey