PITTSBURGH (AP) – The New York Rangers couldn’t win a high-scoring game in Pittsburgh, couldn’t win a low-scoring game, either.

They limited Penguins star Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to a single goal between them in two games on Pittsburgh’s home ice. They owned a 3-0 lead in Game 1, and goalie Henrik Lundqvist couldn’t have played any better in the other.

Still, the Rangers wearily trudged back to New York down two games in their second-round playoff series to the Penguins after losing 2-0 in Game 2 Sunday, exactly the kind of low-scoring, tightly played game they expected to win. And exactly like their 5-4 loss in Game 1 on Friday wasn’t.

“It’s the playoffs, everything can change in a minute, all series, and let’s hope for it,” Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr said.

The Rangers badly need a change, and in a hurry, because they’re staring at a must-win Game 3 Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden, where the Penguins were 0-3-1 during the season.

Lose this one, and the Rangers are reduced to trying to sweep the final four games against a young, energetic and getting-confident-with-every game Penguins team that appears to be riding a growing wave of momentum.

Even when Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and, yes, Jagr, were winning Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, the Penguins never won their first six playoff games in any spring. They have now.

In the only other playoff game on Sunday, Dallas beat San Jose 5-2.

The Penguins won this one with a pivotal power-play goal by 19-year-old Jordan Staal, one set up with about 6 minutes left in the second period when Malkin beat older brother Marc Staal to get free in the left circle and steer the puck to him. They also got an excellent game from goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 26 saves.

The Rangers figured to have the advantage in any game in which goaltending proved decisive, yet Fleury got his second shutout in six playoff games this spring.

“The way our goalie is playing makes it a lot easier,” defenseman Ryan Whitney said

Staal’s goal came with the Rangers’ best penalty killer, Chris Drury, off for hooking. Malkin got the puck down low to Staal, who shifted from his backhand to his forehand to lift the puck over Lundqvist for Pittsburgh’s only goal in 31 shots against him. Adam Hall added a late empty-net goal

“Geno made a nice play and a nice pass and I tried to bury it,” Staal said. “I knew he (Lundqvist) was sliding across to the right and I tried to beat him high.”

Staal didn’t realize that Malkin carried the puck around Staal’s brother to set his fifth goal in 11 career playoff games.

“Not really,” Jordan Staal said. “It’s all pretty much a blur out there.”

The Rangers’ consolation is the Penguins don’t often play well in Madison Square Garden, where they haven’t won in regulation since 2006. Win those two games on their home ice, and the Rangers will have reversed positions and put considerable pressure on the Penguins to win Game 5 at home next Sunday.

“They won two and that’s what we have to do now,” Martin Straka said.

A split in New York means the Penguins, who are playing with a poise and confidence that players as young as Staal, Crosby (20), Malkin (21) and Fleury (23) aren’t supposed to possess, need win only once in three games to reach the conference finals.

About the only good shots the Rangers got on Fleury, save for one first-period flurry, was when agitator Sean Avery used his stick to take a few whacks at the goalie’s legs as the game was ending.

The Rangers wanted to tighten up defensively after getting into that up-and-down Game 1, but their increased emphasis on defense led to far fewer scoring chances offensively.

“They’re young, but they get it,” former Stanley Cup winner Scott Gomez of the Rangers said. “They played great.”

Straka shoved the puck between Fleury’s pads during the first of two New York power plays in the final 6-plus minutes, but referee Dan O’Halloran believed the puck was covered and blew his whistle before it crossed the goal line. Coach Tom Renney did not dispute the call.

“Nobody said it was going to be easy,” Jagr said. “Of course, I would rather have a 2-0 lead and go home and play, but in reality it’s different. … I was hoping we could get at least one here, but that’s OK. We’re going to play two at home and we’ll see what happens.”

Stars 5, Sharks 2

Mike Modano scored the tiebreaking goal early in the Stars’ four-goal third period, and Marty Turco made 29 saves in a victory over the Sharks in Game 2, sending Dallas home with a series lead.

Brad Richards scored the tying goal on an awful San Jose turnover in the opening minute of the third period, and Niklas Hagman added two insurance goals in the Stars’ eighth victory in their last nine trips to San Jose. Mike Ribeiro also scored an early goal before Dallas put a tremendous finish on another profitable night at the Shark Tank.

The Sharks might have a better chance to get competitive in Texas, since the NHL’s best road team during the regular season has won three of its last four games in Dallas.

Milan Michalek and Joe Pavelski scored for the second-seeded Sharks, who are 4-5 overall in the playoffs. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 21 shots, but was no closer to top form than his teammates.

AP-ES-04-28-08 0353EDT