NEW YORK -- If one was just checking the box score for the Penguins' 5-2 Game 2 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, one might get the initial impression that goaltending was a rough spot for the Penguins in this game.
Third-string goaltender Louis Domingue was in net for his first career postseason start in the NHL, two days after his fantastic 17-save relief performance in the Penguins' triple-overtime Game 1 win.
Breaking down the way each of those five goals were scored, though, it's hard to fault Domingue for at least the first four of them. He may not have gotten the win, but he had a strong 35-save performance. He would have benefitted from some better play defensively in front of him.
"He did a heck of a job," Sidney Crosby told me of his goaltender after the loss. "He's competing in there and giving us a chance. It would have been nice to give him some help there and tie it up and see what happened, but he was great tonight."
Rangers forward Andrew Copp opened the scoring in the first period. His shot from the slot deflected off of Crosby's stick, then through between the feet of Mike Matheson and Kris Letang, who were both standing in the crease, both trying to box out Ryan Strome for some reason:
The next two goals were both tips. Not impossible saves, but not soft goals to let in by any means. Domingue was screened by Chris Kreider on the first goal as Strome redirected the shot five-hole:
It was Kreider who got the second redirect goal, directing the puck over Domingue's blocker:
The fourth goal ... yeah. That happened. Artemi Panarin carried the puck below the goal line and shot it in off of Matheson's foot, directly in front of Domingue. Nothing Doming could have done here:
The only goal Domingue let in that could really be considered a "soft" goal was Frank Vatrano's goal midway through the third, a far-side shot that Domingue probably should have been able to glove down. But if Vatrano isn't able to blow past Matheson so easily as he carries the puck into the Penguins' end, there wouldn't be a shot to dissect here:
Domingue was far from the reason the Penguins dropped this game, and his teammates know that.
"I thought he was solid," Crosby said. "I think he made some big saves, especially when it was a one or two-goal difference there that kept us in it. You look at that fourth one, it's a bad bounce. A couple tips there too."
One of the biggest of those saves came when the Penguins were trailing by just one goal in the first period. Braden Schneider took a shot that went wide. The rebound went off of the end boards and straight to Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad quickly got a shot off, but Domingue made a sprawling glove save to keep it out:
"He was awesome," Marcus Pettersson said. "Especially in that second period, I think he he kept it close for us. So he did a great job for sure."
"Louis was solid," Mike Sullivan said. "You know, I thought he made some big saves. He's given us a chance. He's competing in there."
Mike Sullivan was asked following Thursday's morning skate if either Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith would be available for Game 3, and his response was that "We're not even thinking about Game 3 right now."
It seems unlikely that either would be ready to play, though. Both are considered "day-to-day," but seem to be a few steps away from returning. Jarry was only briefly on skates in his street clothes on Thursday, not anything intensive enough to even really be considered "skating." DeSmith has yet to be on the ice at all since leaving Tuesday's Game 1 with a lower-body injury.
When the Penguins take the ice for Game 3 at home on Saturday, it seems incredibly likely that Domingue will be the one leading them out of the tunnel again. And he'll have the full confidence of the players coming out behind him.
"We have a lot of confidence in him," Danton Heinen said "You saw it back there, he's up for the challenge. He was good for us."
