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Rangers drop second straight game against the Penguins
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (39-23-7) and Penguins (36-24-8) played for the third time this season, but it was the Penguins winning for the second time in this season series, beating the Rangers in an intense game 5-3.
This also marked the first time that the Rangers lost back-to-back games since December 18th and 20th. They’ve won just two of their last six games (2-3-1) and they’re just three points ahead of the Islanders, but the Isles have three games in hand. They’ve also lost each of their last two home games.
The home team came out fast, recording four shots on goal in just the first three minutes of play. Brassard, who missed the game against Detroit to the flu, drove hard to the net. His long rebound went to Fast, but Fleury denied him. Read the rest of this entry
Pregame Notes: Rangers vs Penguins, Game 69
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
- It was announced yesterday that Evgeni Malkin would miss today’s game and will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. Malkin sustained an upper body injury on Friday after a collision in their game against the Blue Jackets.
- Derick Brassard will re-join the Rangers lineup after missing yesterday’s game in Detroit with the flu. He will take the place of Tanner Glass, who sustained an upper body injury in yesterday’s game.
- Goalie matchup; Henrik Lundqvist (31-17-5, .923 SV%, 2.32 GAA) vs Marc Andre-Fleury (28-16-6, .922 SV%, 2.34 GAA). Lundqvist is coming off of a fantastic 40 save performance in an overtime loss against the Red Wings. Fleury made 25 saves and allowed two goals in the win over Columbus, which was the 350th win of his career.
- This is the third matchup between the Rangers and Penguins this season, and the first between these two teams at MSG since Carl Hagelin scored the overtime game-winner in Game 5 back in April. Lundqvist shut out the Penguins back on February 10th in a 3-0 Rangers win, and the Penguins got their revenge with a 4-1 win just 10 games ago. Nine different Rangers have a point in the two games against the Penguins.
- Sidney Crosby is heating up again, currently riding a seven game point streak where he has scored 11 points (3-8-11). He’ll skate on a line with Chris Kunitz (13-20-33) and Patric Hornqvist (17-26-43).
- Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (28), points (67), and is tied with Kris Letang in assists (39).
- The Rangers have picked up a point in 10 of the last 12 games against the Penguins dating back to April 3, 2013 (7-2-3). They’ve also picked up a point in six of the last seven games against Pittsburgh (5-1-1).
- Eric Staal skated with Rick Nash for the first time and that line had some good shifts. Staal has had success against the Penguins in his career, with 46 points (19-27-46) in 47 games. He’s recorded a point in 10 of the last 16 games against Pittsburgh, with 16 points (6-10-16) in those games.
- Rick Nash has also been good against the Penguins in his career, tallying 19 points (11-8-19) in 22 games. He has a point in each of the last four games against Pittsburgh (4-3-7).
- The Rangers have won 13 straight games following a regulation loss or an overtime loss dating back to December 22nd against the Ducks.
- The Rangers have a point in 14 of their last 17 games on home ice (12-3-2), as well as 12 of their last 14 games (10-2-2). The Blueshirts have a 22-6-2 record in the last 30 home games, and rank third in the league in wins (23) and points (49) this season.
- The Rangers have an 8-4-1 record in the second game of a back-to-back sets this season. New York has an 18-5-2 record in the second game of their last 25 back-to-back sets. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Rangers are 27-11-2 in those same circumstances.
- The Rangers and Penguins will faceoff at Madison Square Garden at 12:30 PM
EXPECTED LINEUP
JT Miller-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Kevin Hayes
Rick Nash-Eric Staal-Viktor Stalberg
Oscar Lindberg-Dominic Moore-Jesper Fast
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle-Kevin Klein
Henrik Lundqvist
Rangers fall to Penguins on the road; Lundqvist injured
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After winning three games in a row, the Rangers (37-21-6) dropped the first game of their road trip, falling to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins (33-22-8) by a score of 4-1 in an important divisional matchup.
The Rangers opened up the scoring but fell victim to three Penguin goals in 1:39. That small lapse cost them the game, as they were pretty good for the rest of the night. The Penguins also scored on the penalty kill, an area where the Rangers continue to struggle.
The first period didn’t see any goals, but the pace and action was that of a playoff game. Both teams were skating quickly and efficiently, the passing was crisp and accurate, and there was a ton of big hits. Ian Cole laid out Viktor Stalberg, Dylan McIlrath obliterated Tom Kuhnhackl, and Viktor Stalberg hit Kevin Porter into the boards. Read the rest of this entry
Lundqvist Shutout Propels Rangers over Penguins
Ezra Kwestel
Kevin Hayes celebrates his goal with Daniel Paille (Photo via NY Rangers)
Tonight, the New York Rangers (31-18-5) defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins (27-19-7) by a score of 3-0. Let’s start off with the positives: The Rangers have now won four in a row and are 4-1 since the All-Star break and 7-3 in their last 10 games. Many people noted that tonight’s game was going to be a litmus test for the Rangers, going up against a Penguins team that has been clicking on all cylinders lately. It was also the Rangers first game against a team in playoff position since their tilt on January 17 at Washington. Although the Rangers went into Pittsburgh and shut out Crosby and Co. we can’t categorize tonight’s game as “signature win.” With that being said, there is still plenty of merit in winning a road game without Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash. It should also be noted that the Penguins played tonight’s game without All-Star forward Evgeni Malkin. Read the rest of this entry
Miller, Brassard look to stay hot against Hagelin and the Penguins
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For the first time since the Rangers (30-18-5) eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins (27-18-7) in Game 5 of the opening round of the playoffs, these two bitter rivals will face off once again. Despite playing every other team in the Metropolitan Division, this is the first game between New York and Pittsburgh in this regular season.
The Rangers are currently riding a three game win streak, the first time they’ve won that many consecutive games since the middle of November. Things are starting to look up; more possession, more shots on goal, better defensive play, and less mistakes. That’s given the Rangers six wins in their last eight, and something to build off of.
The Penguins are also coming into tonight’s game playing extremely well. Under former Rangers assistant coach and now current head coach Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh has greatly improved their play, finding the right line combinations, scoring more and winning more. The Penguins have won six of their last seven games, outscoring opponents 23-14 in those games. Read the rest of this entry
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