Lundqvist felt embarrassment, hopelessness against Penguins

There's no solace in being the most handsome man on the planet. That's how bad Henrik Lundqvist feels Saturday night.

The New York Rangers all-world goaltender somehow finished only two of his club's five games in the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, as he was injured in Game 1 and pulled in Games 4 and 5. It's Lundqvist's shortest spring since 2011, with the Rangers bowing out meekly in five games.

"In the second period, it was a feeling of embarrassment to give up that many goals," Lundqvist said, according to the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis. "But also a sense of hopelessness. I think we played a team that was smarter, better, and (had) better goaltending."

The Penguins put up a four spot in the second, but "The King" graciously faced the media after his team's stunning first-round defeat Saturday, as the competitive window seemingly slammed shut in the Rangers' faces. It was a very un-Lundqvist-like postseason that saw him finish with an .867 save percentage in five games.

However, the truth is Lundqvist got no help. The Penguins scored their goals Saturday on 10-bell scoring chances, and the goaltender was left helpless by his teammates. It wouldn't have made a difference who was playing in the Rangers' crease on Saturday - they were losing that game, and losing it handily.

And so begins a summer of soul-searching for the Blueshirts, with Lundqvist having turned 34 in early March. He can still play - it's the rest of the roster that's the issue. While his playoffs were certainly a disappointment, the 2015-16 season was the seventh straight in which Lundqvist posted a save percentage of .920 or higher. He remains elite. The same cannot be said for New York's roster, as Pittsburgh proved.

Signed through 2019-20, if Lundqvist doesn't win a Stanley Cup when it's all said and done, he'll go down as one of the best to have never done so.