The resolve and resiliency the Rangers have shown in the previous few weeks came out too little, too late in a 5-2 loss to the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, bringing the Blueshirts’ impressive five-game win streak to a halt.

It was the Rangers’ fifth loss since the start of March, when the club went 10-3-1 while facing some of the top teams in the NHL.

The Penguins, who were ranked 22nd in the league and second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division at the start of the game, are not the team they were just two seasons ago — when they lost a 3-1 series lead on the Rangers in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.

But Pittsburgh looked like a team fighting for its pride, while the Rangers didn’t look like they were fighting for anything at all.

“It seemed like it wasn’t our night overall,” Jimmy Vesey said. “Can’t spot a team two goals and expect to win in this league. I think going down two that early kind of changes the whole dynamic of the game. Just a few too many mistakes tonight.”

The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros, 7-1 at Minute Maid Park, relying on some stingy pitching while taking advantage of some costly mistakes from their opponents.

Though the Astros led 1-0 for the first six innings of the game, this Yankees squad once again showed they have the ability to rally late in games, getting some major production from the bottom of the lineup.

Oswaldo Cabrera and Juan Soto led the way in the late-game heroics, getting the Yankees off to a 2-0 start to the season and guaranteeing at least a split of the four-game series.

Manager Aaron Boone is thrilled to see Cabrera’s strong start after he struggled early this spring.

“He’s delivered,” Boone said. “In these first two games he’s been right in the middle of everything. And it’s so good to see him swinging the bat like this and contributing offensively like this because then he becomes so valuable.”

New York starter Carlos Rodón allowed five hits and a run with three walks in 4 innings, and Clayton Beeter, a 25-year-old right-hander, made his major league debut for the Yankees with a one-hit ninth.

The Mets got over-matched by Freddy Peralta and the Brewers bullpen, falling silent in a 3-1 Opening Day loss before a Citi Field sellout crowd of 42,137.

Starling Marte’s second-inning homer provided hope for the afternoon. 

It turned out to be the Mets’ only hit. Masters of Opening Day, the Mets lost their first opener since 2019 in Washington.

The homer was Marte’s first since July 4 of last season. It marked the third straight season in which Marte homered in the Mets’ first home game.

Marte’s shot into the wind on this day registered 109 mph off the bat. It was one of the limited opportunities for Mets fans to cheer as the offense stumbled out of the gate, striking out eight times against the Brewers ace and twice more against the Brewers bullpen.

DJ Stewart and Francisco Lindor were the only other Mets to reach base, with walks in the second and seventh innings.