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Vigneault aims to find ‘right trigger’ for Rangers power play

New York Rangers v Florida Panthers

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Alain Vigneault of the New York Rangers looks on during first period action against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 31, 2013 in Sunrise, Florida. The Rangers defeated the Panthers 2-1 in a shootout. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alain Vigneault

Joel Auerbach

New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault admitted that he must be the one to find a solution for his team’s aimless power play after it failed once again in a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of their second-round series on Sunday.

With less than 24 hours rest between tonight’s contest and Monday’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, it might behoove the Rangers to score a few “easy” goals.

Then again, power-play goals certainly haven’t come easily. The Rangers have now gone seven straight games without a tally on the man advantage, going 0-for-25 in that span. That unit hasn’t found the net since Benoit Pouliot beat Ray Emery in the first round of Game 2 during the Rangers’ first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

To be fair, it’s common to forget that a slump often demands strong play from an opponent. Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma raved about his team’s penalty kill unit after leaving the Rangers 0-for-4 for a second straight game.

If things remain tight between the Rangers and Penguins, losing the special teams battle could really hurt. The Penguins have scored at least one power-play goal in five of their eight playoff games this postseason, so Vigneault has to hope to at least break even in that area as this series goes along.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins