The Penguins are shut out by the Rangers in an ugly start to the season

Lars Eller is not the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins. About ten cubicles away from him in the team’s locker room is a luminary who fills that role: Sidney Crosby.

But Eller doesn’t hesitate to speak on their behalf, especially when some hard truths need to be expressed.

After the franchise went two straight springs without a playoff series, the veteran defensive center understands the predicament the Penguins find themselves in early in the season.

“We should be urgent,” Eller said on Sept. 18, the day the team opened training camp. “We should want that feeling of redemption, revenge on ourselves for the last year. I hope we will have that attitude.”

Their mindset didn’t appear to be in good shape on Wednesday as they opened the season with an ugly 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena.

With their laboriously reconfigured and closely scrutinized power play going 0-for-3 (with a shorthanded goal) and goalkeeper Tristan Jarry being riddled like a train ticket by the visitors, the 2024-25 Penguins are already looking very similar to the 2023-24 squad that stumbled for almost seven months.

Rangers striker Sam Carrick scored the first goal 2 minutes and 24 seconds into regulation time.

Jacob Trouba, Rangers defenseman and longtime Penguins nemesis, accepted a pass at the right point of the offensive zone and threw a wrister toward the cage. While battling with Penguins defenseman Kris Letang above the crease, Carrick used his stick to direct the puck to the other side of the crease, where it bounced off Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk’s left leg and into the cage behind Jarry. Trouba and forward Johnny Brodzinkski were credited with assists.

The Rangers appeared to double their lead at 9:48 of the first period, but a supposed goal by forward Will Cuylle was canceled after the Penguins issued a successful coach challenge and called the sequence offside.

Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere scored a valid goal at 17:23 of the first frame.

After taking a puck away from Eller in the Rangers’ zone, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin backhanded it into the neutral zone, allowing Lafreniere to advance into the Penguins’ zone. When Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson raced back and slipped in a failed attempt to knock the puck away, Lafreniere waited patiently for his opportunity and ripped a wrist shot through Jarry’s legs. The only assist went to Panarin.

Rangers forward Chris Kreider gave his team the lead with a field goal at 19:48, cleaning up a rebound after a furious attack on goal.

While the Penguins struggled to even come close to stealing the puck from the dominant visitors, Trouba shot a one-timer from above the Penguins’ left circle. Jarry parried with his left leg, but allowed a rebound above the goal area. With Crosby and linemate Drew O’Connor slow to respond, Kreider found fertile opportunities to beat the defenseless Jarry. Trouba and former Penguins forward Reilly Smith registered assists.

Forward Filip Chytil gave the Rangers the lead with 9:39 left in the second period.

Cuylle burst into the attack zone down the right wing and attempted to switch from backhand to forehand and fire a wrist shot, but failed due to pressure from Pettersson. As Grzelcyk overdid the sequence, Chytil deflected the puck into the right circle and shot a wrister to the other side that ricocheted off Jarry’s blocker and fell into the cage. Cuylle got the only assist.

Kreider delivered the coup de grace at 11:35 of the third period with a shorthanded goal on a breakaway after he deflected a puck past Letang at the New York blue line and raced into the net. There were no assists.

The Penguins led the NHL with 12 shorthanded goals allowed last season.

Upper St. Clair forward Vince Trocheck gave the Rangers the lead with a touchdown at 16:59 of the final frame. Lafreniere and Panarin had assists.

Unofficially, Jarry made 35 saves on 41 shots in the loss.

Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin stopped all 29 shots he faced.

Notes: Penguins forward Valtteri Puustinen and defenseman Ryan Shea were healthy scratches. … Former Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel was a healthy scratch for the Rangers.