Well the Rangers have won three in a row, all against Atlantic opponents, in dominating fashion. In doing so, they’ve padded their lead on second place in the Metro, but a critical game with the Penguins awaits them tonight. The Pens are four points back, but have a game in hand on the Rangers. So this is a big four-point swing game and the last chance for the Penguins to take a serious shot at home ice in the first round.
Should the Rangers come out victorious, Pittsburgh would have a hard time making up enough points for second place by the end of the season. So this is likely one of the more important games of the season, as it is a chance for the Blueshirts to put a virtual lock on second in the Metro. Considering the Pens are without Evgeni Malkin and have a shattered blue line, this is a good chance for the Rangers to do just that, while giving themselves a major confidence boost at the same time.
Penguins Systems
Under Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh has gotten more aggressive in all facets of the game. They’ve switched back to a 2-1-2 forecheck and look to pursue the puck, rather than play the contain game in the neutral zone. On defense, they play zone and try to defend in layers. All in all, very similar to how Torts coached the Rangers.
Penguins Lines
Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Patric Hornqvist
Carl Hagelin-Nick Bonino-Phil Kessel
Tom Kuhnhackl-Matt Cullen-Bryan Rust
Conor Sheary-Eric Fehr-Beau Bennett
Trevor Daley-Kris Letang
Brian Dumoulin-Ben Lovejoy
Justin Schultz-Ian Cole
PP1: Crosby-Malkin-Kessel-Hornqvist-Letang
PP2: Kunitz-Bonino-Wilson-Daley-Pouliot
PK: Crosby, Hagelin, Cullen, Porter, Kuhnhackl, Dumoulin, Lovejoy, Letang, Daley, Pouliot
Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start.
Rangers Lines
Rangers Lines
Chris Kreider–Derick Brassard–Rick Nash
JT Miller–Derek Stepan–Mats Zuccarello
Kevin Hayes–Eric Staal–Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass–Dominic Moore–Viktor Stalberg
Ryan McDonagh–Dan Girardi
Keith Yandle–Kevin Klein
Marc Staal–Dan Boyle
PP1: Yandle-Klein-Miller-Hayes-Fast
PP2: Zucc-Boyle-Kreider-Stepan-Brassard
PK: Stepan, Moore, Nash, Fast, Glass, McDonagh, Staal, Klein, Girardi
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.
Scratches/Injuries: Oscar Lindberg (healthy), Dylan McIlrath (knee)
Crazy Prediction: Dare I say four in a row?
Be sure to check out our ticket link if you’re looking for tickets to the game. Game time is 7:30pm on NBCSN. All gifs will be on nyrgifs.com.
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