SPORTS

Rangers fading fast after 4-2 loss

Josh Thomson
jthomson@lohud.com

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, left, reacts as the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate a goal by Chris Kunitz during the third period of Wednesday night's game.

NEW YORK – Four locker stalls to his right and well within earshot, Rick Nash sat alone with his mounting frustration. Brad Richards did his best to defend the man expected to be the Rangers' best goal scorer, but the Garden crowd aired its feelings, showering Nash and his team with boos Wednesday night.

The vitriol directed at Nash was inescapable during a 4-2 Game 4 loss to the Penguins that saw the imported winger go scoreless for the 11th time in as many games this postseason and jeered with the puck on his stick as the Rangers fell in a 3-1 hole in the series.

"It's a tough thing," Richards said. "Rick's a human being that's out there trying his best. He's putting pressure on himself because he knows it's his job to do so. But we've all been through different situations. In here as a team, we're 100 percent behind him.

"It upsets everybody in the locker room. We're not 15th in the league, losing in April 8-1. We're in the second round of the playoffs. But that's my opinion."

The facts: Nash did register a team-best four shots, but his neutral-zone giveaway late in the second period led to Brandon Sutter's short-handed goal and a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead.

He and Martin St. Louis, who came here for captain Ryan Callahan, remained scoreless this series.

Nash said this was "by far" the most frustrating point of his career. He has not only gone without a goal this postseason, he has but one in 23 playoff games as a Ranger.

"For sure, it's tough," he said of the boos. "But you understand where they're coming from."

Nash led the Rangers in goals the last two regular seasons, and the Rangers remain in search of more offense despite finally snapping Marc-Andre Fleury's shutout streak of 145:30 on Carl Hagelin's goal early in the second period.

Their dreadful power play dropped to 0 for its last 36. At times in Game 4, that unit included players other than Nash as the focal point.

With the team on the brink of elimination, Nash is no closer to rectifying his rep as a postseason flop.

"It doesn't matter what you do all year," Nash said. "It matters what you do in the playoffs when things count. Obviously, I've been struggling."

Others shared plenty blame on a night that saw the Rangers pile up far more giveaways (25) than shots on goal (15).

Just 57 seconds after Mats Zuccarello scored on a backhander to cut their deficit to 3-2 with 6:53 left, Ryan McDonagh was beat behind the net by Evgeni Malkin. St. Louis' half-hearted challenge left Chris Kunitz free to fire Malkin's pass past Henrik Lundqvist.

Lundqvist allowed four goals on 27 shots, including a short-side backhander by Malkin just 2:31 into the opening period.

"It's not one person, it's the whole team," Richards said. "As a team, we didn't play tonight. For one, two guys to get booed or whatever it was, it's frustrating as a team because we all put our foot in this tonight."

The Rangers will attempt to avoid elimination Friday night in Pittsburgh, but face a daunting challenge. Just 21 of 231 teams have rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to win in NHL history, although the Kings trailed the Sharks 3-0 this year and won their opening-round series in seven.

Twitter: @jthomson22