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Carpiniello: Rangers unraveling as series spirals downward

The Penguins' Evgeni Malkin gets control of the puck in front of  Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist during the first period Wednesday night. Malkin would score on the play.

NEW YORK – It was a moment to rise to a challenge. An opportunity to make a mark.

The Rangers, instead, unraveled.

Fell right apart. The usual suspects let them down — Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, the power play (again). Their reliable guys, did too — Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal.

You can go right down the lineup card.

"We got in our own way and uncharacteristically didn't execute and it mounted," said Brad Richards, who also wasn't very good at all.

"We know we can play better than that without even going over anything. We know we can execute and do things a lot better than that."

You could count the ways. The turnovers in the neutral zone. The careless penalties. Decisions without the puck. Waving like a matador in the defensive zone. Giving up goals so soon after finally scoring a couple. Of course, the power play, which not only hit an unimaginable 0 for 36, but gave up a dagger of a short-handed, tie-breaking goal to Brandon Sutter, then a third-period goal to Jussi Jokinen, who looks more dangerous than Sidney Crosby in this series.

"We definitely played the right way all the way through," Crosby said.

The Rangers found every way to lose to the Penguins, to lose a game they really needed to win to avoid the 3-1 hole that's not 100 percent fatal, but sure doesn't leave them much of a chance against a much better opponent.

Much better.

"We didn't pick a good night to manage the puck the way we did," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said following a lengthy postgame meeting. "Our puck management and execution tonight weren't very good and ultimately cost us the game."

"When you play this team," Lundqvist said, "you have to realize that they have the skill. And they do make you pay if you're not careful.

Then he added, "I can't expect us to win and give up four goals."

The Rangers broke Marc-Andre Fleury's shutout streak at 145:30 on a Carl Hagelin goal to tie it at 1-1 in the second, then gave up the short-handed goal to Sutter, just an awful read or back-checking effort by McDonagh.

Staal had a shot blocked, then got back into the play in time to deflect Jokinen's shot past Lundqvist for a 3-1 lead. And when Mats Zuccarello pulled the Rangers back into the game, it took 57 seconds for Evgeni Malkin to go around the net with McDonagh, go right by St. Louis' wave, and find Chris Kunitz, who was St. Louis' man. Kunitz put it away. Probably put away the Rangers.

They managed 15 shots on goal, four when trailing the entire third period of a critical playoff game.

"The reason we met is that it can go the other way on anybody just as quick and the last thing we can do is go home tonight thinking this is over," Richards said.

"We witnessed it this year, Chicago last year, Boston last year, some of the tests you have to go through to get where you want to go, for whatever reason. We're getting tested right now. I don't know where it's going to go."

It's going to go to Pittsburgh for Game 6 Friday, with a massive task in front of the Rangers now, a task they could have avoided with a better performance.

They got what they deserved.

Twitter: @RangersReport