from Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Seven games into an increasingly skittish postseason, there is still no persuasive evidence that the Penguins intend to put three really professional periods together on any given night.

One or two, maybe, and possibly a couple of minutes of an overtime period here or there if it’s not too much trouble, but 60 minutes or more doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

Friday night arrived along with an engraved invitation from the league office, as the New York Rangers were scheduled to play their third playoff game in four nights, their fourth in six, in fact.

They were tired. They were vulnerable. They were the battle-ready equivalent of a drunk stumbling into a dark alley.

And, of course, they’re ahead in these Eastern Conference semifinals, 1-0, after the Penguins somehow got out of their way in Game 1.

“We’ve got to find a way to capture something earlier,” said Lee Stempniak, who back-handed Beau Bennett’s exquisite drop pass into the Rangers net in the second period to start a wasted Penguins comeback. “We have to put a couple of solid shifts together. We came out a bit flat and they played well. We’ve got to get a better start.”

continued

added 9:34am, from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,