Rangers 2, Penguins 1 (overtime)

Some news and notes, numbers and quotes from the Penguins’ 2-1 overtime loss in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center:

*** Kevin Hayes scored from the left side of the crease at 3:14 of overtime to give New York a 3-1 lead in the series. Teams holding a 3-1 edge in a best-of-seven series have won 249 of 276 in NHL history, a success rate of 90.2 percent. The Rangers, for what it’s worth, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Penguins in Round 2 a year ago.

*** New York will have a chance to secure a spot in Round 2 with a victory in Game 5 Friday at 7:10 at Madison Square Garden, where the teams split two previous games.

*** All three of New York’s victories have been 2-1, and every game in the series has been decided by one goal. This is only the second time the Penguins have had the first four games of a series decided by one goal; it also happened during Round 1 against Columbus in 2014.

*** The Penguins have lost six overtime playoff games in a row, the past two to the Rangers.

*** The Penguins, who spoke at length after Game 3 about the importance of improving their start, dominated the first period. They recorded eight of the 10 shots during the opening 20 minutes and got the only goal when Patric Hornqvist deflected a Ben Lovejoy shot past New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist for his second of the series at 2:22. “We talked that they were going to come at us, and come at us hard,” New York coach Alain Vigneault said. “And they did.”

*** Hornqvist’s goal gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead for the first time in the series and ended a streak of six consecutive playoff games in which they had given up the first goal.

*** Derick Brassard got New York’s only goal during regulation, his third of the series, at 17:15 of the second period by jamming in a shot from near the right post.

*** Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Lundqvist both finished with 22 saves.

*** The Penguins have lost four home playoff games in a row to the Rangers, the first time that has happened against any opponent.

*** Penguins defenseman Ian Cole, on the challenge facing his team: “It’s hard to shake off, for sure. It’s easier said than done. But that’s what we have to do, go to New York and get one, then bring it back here and get another one. Turn this into a seven-game series.”

*** The two shots the Penguins allowed during the opening period were the fewest they’ve given up in any first period during the past two seasons.

*** Lundqvist, on what he expects from the Penguins in Game 5: “It's desperation mode for them and the key is to match that. You have to grab every opportunity you get to finish a series. You can't just think you have more chance. You've got to go for it and match their desperation.”

*** The Penguins are scheduled to practice at Consol Energy Center Thursday before flying to New York.