The Rangers put up an inspired third period last night, while down 3-0, to cut the lead to 3-2 on Marian Gaborik and Sean Avery goals. Inspired or not, the Rangers put up another close but no cigar game last night, a game that Michael Del Zotto told Michael Obernauer, the team thought it should have won:

“It’s one of those games we felt we should have won,” said Del Zotto. “The penalties and the first 20 minutes killed us.”

…Penalties and a bad first period, that would be the story of the Rangers season.

Del Zotto though, was a big party to the bad first period. He was on the ice for all three of Phoenix‘s goals:

“I take responsibility for the first goal,” Del Zotto said. “I thought I had the puck, it just bounced off his chest – he beat me there. I’ve got to take the puck or take the body, I can’t miss both. The other one, just got caught. It killed us.”

Even with the comeback, Del Zotto told Larry Brooks that it can’t keep being this way:

“I thought we showed good character in coming back the way we did, but we can’t fall behind every game and expect to come back.”

…Especially when Henrik Lundqvist isn’t in net, every mistake the Rangers make seems to come back to bit them. The penalty kill was 7 for 7 last night, but taking penalties, especially in the third, hurt the play that the Rangers were establishing and gave Phoenix more chances to bury the Rangers. Tonight has to be a better effort in Colorado, hopefully for sixty minutes.