The reality of the situation is there should be a sour taste on the palate after this one, a game when the Rangers deserved credit and discredit in equal measure, and through a sheer lack of will somehow managed to scrape together a point.
Yet after the 4-3 shootout loss to a massively depleted Penguins team, it is only through the rosiest of glasses one does not see the problems, that one can be blinded to the fact 35 games into the season, the Blueshirts still have almost no traction on this season whatsoever.
So to address the good things first, begin and end with the fact they came back. For the second game in a row, the Rangers (16-17-2) climbed out of an early hole, first getting a gift from Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with 12:43 gone by in the third that Mats Zuccarello swept in, followed by a sharp-angle try from Derick Brassard off a rebound from the backboards to tie it with 1:42 remaining.
On Sunday, the Rangers notched a 4-3 shootout win over the Flames after being down 2-0 and 3-2, but they've now begun this season-high nine-game homestand 1-3-2, and need more than just the ambiguity of determination.
Girardi was very nearly the goat, as he failed on a clearing attempt just over five minutes into the third period which turned into a goal for Pascal Dupuis to make it 2-1 Pittsburgh. Dupuis converted a great cross-ice feed from Sidney Crosby, who at this juncture is in the midst of his most impressive season to date.
The Penguins (25-10-1) were playing without nine of their regulars — nine! — including all four of their top-four defensemen. With two assists, Crosby extended his points streak to eight games, staying atop the league in scoring while his team has won five in a row and 10 of the past 11.
Just 61 seconds after Dupuis' goal, it was Sutter skating around Michael Del Zotto and netting a high backhand over Henrik Lundqvist's blocker to make it 3-1.
Come Friday, when the Islanders come the Garden, the Rangers will want to see a lot more from the likes of Rick Nash, Richards, and the rest of the crew that could hardly have been found on Wednesday with tracking devices. Otherwise, it might be more of the same.