The Pittsburgh Penguins saw their four-game win streak end at Madison Square Garden with a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins went into New York City on a season-high four-game winning streak but let the struggling New York Rangers get the best of them in a 4-2 victory on Friday night.
For the first time in ages, Madison Square Garden was quiet, and the Rangers didn't have much going on after a day of headlines involving the trade of their captain, Jacob Trouba, and the re-signing of Igor Shesterkin.
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Despite grabbing a 1-0 lead, the Penguins let New York tie things quickly, and Artemi Panarin's goal with 0.5 seconds left in the second period was the backbreaker.
Pittsburgh returns to the ice on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, so there's no time to dwell on the loss.
Tomasino Turning Into One of the Most Underrated Trades
Since coming to the Penguins in a trade last month, Philip Tomasino has points in four of his five games and is up to three goals with a lamplighter against the Rangers.
Before the deal, he had one point in 11 games with the Nashville Predators. Moreover, Tomasino had just 17 shots on goals with his former team and is already up to 16 with the Penguins.
With the Penguins down 2-1, his third-period goal got the team back into the game. Even though it wasn't enough of a momentum swing, Tomasino continues to defy the odds and remains one of the hottest Pittsburgh skaters.
This Loss Can't Be Blamed on Nedeljkovic
The Penguins lost for the first time in four games, but this latest setback can't be blamed on Alex Nedeljkovic, who finished the evening with a .875 SV%.
He made 28 saves, but on Reilly Smith's game-winning goal, there was a blown defensive coverage, allowing him to collect the rebound and pot his first goal in 11 games.
Meanwhile, the Penguins seemed unable to win a face-off to save their lives, so the Rangers had a chance to control most of the play from start to finish.
Thankfully, the home team went 0-for-3 on the man advantage, but Pittsburgh also did nothing on the power play, with the teams combining to go 0-for-7.
As bad as New York had been playing, they dispatched the Penguins with ease again since Shesterkin was hardly tested. Of course, Nedeljkovic could have bailed his team out, but they didn't appear to have the same energy that won them four in a row.
Metro Division Losses Are Destroying Penguins Season
On opening night, the Rangers shut out the Penguins 6-0, and their successes against Metropolitan Division teams have only been downhill since then.
Here's a look at the numbers:
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Pittsburgh has yet to play New Jersey or Philadelphia, but it ends the month with two against its cross-state rivals. Considering how good New Jersey has been, these numbers could be a little different.
Either way, if the Penguins hope to make up ground and create separation in the wildcard race, they will have to beat other teams in the division or risk it being the main reason for another playoff-less campaign.
