Near Victory Despite Invisible Sidney Crosby Gives Penguins Upset Hopes

NEW YORK — Let's make this clear: The New York Rangers were the much better team at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night and probably should've won by more than the 2-1 score that beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, who nearly forced overtime with a virtually non-existent Sidney Crosby.

If the Rangers play six more games like the one they played in Game 1 of this first-round series, they will almost certainly find a way to win three of them.

But maybe, just maybe, the Penguins showed that they can play with the Rangers in this series, and maybe even win it.

Maybe.

"We believe that we can not only play with this Rangers team," Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said, "but we can beat them."

Before you chuckle—fine, go ahead and chuckle—it's not as laughable a statement as it seems.

The Rangers won this game in the first period, when the Penguins took four minor penalties, none of which contained a lick of intelligence. There was David Perron slashing Carl Hagelin in the offensive zone; Chris Kunitz colliding with Henrik Lundqvist; Blake Comeau punching Dominic Moore in the face as they battled for a puck and, perhaps the dumbest penalty anyone can take, Taylor Chorney interfering with Tanner Glass while the puck wasn't in the vicinity.

With the Penguins killing penalties, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin spent most of the period on the bench, watching as Ryan McDonagh's power-play goal made it 2-0 after Derick Brassard put the Rangers ahead 1-0 just 28 seconds into the contest.

"The momentum, the crowd, the surge and those penalties, the Rangers earned it," Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. "In the second and third, we certainly got better."

The Penguins didn't exactly take over the contest after the first period, but it was competitive.

Over the final two periods, the Penguins had 36 shot attempts at 5-on-5, compared to 31 for the Rangers. Some of that had to do with the Rangers protecting a one-goal lead in the third period after Comeau pulled the Penguins to within a goal early in the second period, but there was no denying the Penguins at least gave themselves a chance in a game they had no business winning.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped the final 24 shots he faced over the final two periods.

As dominant as the Rangers were in the first period, the Penguins were right there in the final minutes searching for a tying goal.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"It messes with your rhythm," Lovejoy said of playing nearly half the first period shorthanded. "Half your team is sitting on the bench. They don't kill penalties. They're not able to get going. And the other half is playing very difficult minutes against the other team's top line. So half our team's tired, half is out of sorts.

"We have to be better disciplined about it and we have to come far more ready to play."

Another positive that can be taken from all the negative—Crosby was invisible.

Crosby had just three attempts toward net and one on net. Malkin and his line were better but weren't able to generate more than a couple dangerous chances.

Sure, that's bad. But if you're looking for silver linings, if you're looking for belief that the Penguins can pull off a huge upset—and it would be huge, especially when Kris Letang isn't at Pittsburgh's disposal—you have to believe Crosby and/or Malkin will be better over the rest of the series, and if the Penguins can hang with the NHL's best team while the world's two best players don't do much...

...maybe, just maybe.

"You have to get pucks behind them and really work their D," Crosby said. "Their best defense was puck possession and holding onto it in our end. Once we did have possession down there, I don't think we weren't able to generate. I thought we were, but it wasn't enough."

The Penguins are in a 1-0 hole, but the blueprint is there for them at least have hope at an upset.

It's simple: If Fleury avoids giving up the bad goal, and the Penguins avoid taking undisciplined penalties, and Crosby and Malkin step up their games...

...wait, isn't this how the Penguins lose every year?

"It's a negative tonight," Perron said, "but it's a positive if we raise our level— we'll be right there with them and possibly better."

Perron is right. It's just a matter of the Penguins doing it.

All statistics via NHL.com. Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.