Asked if the quick turnaround would help his team, in the midst of a six-games-in-nine-nights stretch, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault nailed it: "Or you could say (the Penguins have) got momentum winning off tonight. Both teams are going to travel. It's going to be the same for both teams."

Kris Letang, Jussi Jokinen and Evgeni Malkin were Pittsburgh's goal-scorers. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 22 shots the Rangers fired at him. Henrik Lundqvist was, as plenty of players said after the game, the Rangers' best player, saving 32 of 34 shots.

Some more notes from Consol Energy Center:


Crosby Watch


Sidney Crosby's postseason has been nothing if not interesting. In the first round against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he played undeniably well — but he didn't score, and he didn't quite pass the infamous eye test. In Game 1, a 3-2 Rangers win in overtime, he didn't just look off; he played that way, too. Whether he's dealing with injuries — and what type, specifically — remains to be seen.

On Sunday, though, he reversed course: He looked great, and the numbers backed him up. His skating was good enough to badly beat Ryan McDonagh on a rush down the right side. He was generating shots, for himself (six) and his linemates. Pittsburgh dominated puck when he was on the ice at even strength, taking more than 70 percent of all shot attempts.

"To see Sid play like that tonight was really inspiring for everybody in our dressing room," Letang said. "He was really dangerous."

He still didn't score, though, largely because of ...


Not Hank's fault


The game would've been 4-0 or thereabouts by the end of the second period had it not been for Lundqvist. By then, he'd already faced 25 shots, and Pittsburgh didn't slow down much during the third, winding up with 35 total. He did everything he could.

Sounds about right.

"Hank played really well." Rangers center Brad Richards said. "He gave us a chance to tie the game in the third. That's all you can ask. We didn't score a goal, so there's not much he can do about that."


Positive impact


Brian Gibbons made a somewhat surprising return to Pittsburgh's lineup, as he'd been working his way back from an upper-body injury. The point of swapping him for Tanner Glass was to infuse the Penguins' forwards (and penalty kill) with straight-line speed, and Gibbons came through by positively impacting puck possession on a few different lines. Having another forward capable of contributing on the top six allowed Dan Bylsma some serious latitude on his combos.

Where Gibbons really helps Pittsburgh, though, is on the penalty kill — whether he's 5'8 or not, he's more of a threat to score a shorthanded goal than Pittsburgh's other PK forwards.

"I thought he impacted the game from the penalty kill on," Bylsma said. "His speed was a factor."


Tight calls


A grand total of 10:06 in the first period was played at 5-on-5. That's what happens when officials call eight minors in 20 minutes. The Rangers benefited, at least on paper, from the calls — with some help from Daniel Carcillo, who snapped his head back to draw a roughing call on Matt Niskanen. The problem for the Rangers, as has been the case throughout the playoffs, is that their power play is awful.

After four failed attempts in the first period alone, they'd built an 0-for-25 streak, and it was deserved: They're barely setting up or generating shots, let alone scoring chances.

Richards, one of of the focal points of that power play, says to keep things in perspective:  "It does you no good to be frustrated. We're 1-1 in the second round of the playoffs. Absolutely no sense (in being) frustrated. It's a challenge to get out of it."

Penguins center Brandon Sutter: "Those were some of our better kills we've had all playoffs. It definitely was a momentum builder for us, and it seemed like we just kick-started things from there."


Through the glass


In early May, the sun is positioned in such a way that it shines through a set of upper-concourse windows at Consol around game time. Pretty cool.