Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview, Prediction, Team Comparison, X-Factors
Stanley Cup Playoffs second match-up kicks off on Wednesday at 8:00PM (EST) with the Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers. The second/third place teams in the Metropolitan Division are set to lock horns as the Rangers hope to knock-off the NHL’s hottest team down the stretch.
Pittsburgh is facing several key injuries, but have continued to pile up wins as secondary pieces step up. The biggest question mark heading into this series is the health of Penguins goaltenders.
Injury Report (IR – Injured Reserve, DTD – Day-to-Day)
Evgeni Malkin PIT (IR) – Considered day-to-day right now, but he missed practice on Monday. Unclear whether he will suit up for game one.
Olli Maatta PIT (DTD) – He has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, and hasn’t played since March 24th. He practiced Monday, suggesting he should be available on Wednesday night.
Bryan Rust PIT (DTD) – Rust has not played since March 31st due to a lower body injury. There is nothing to suggest he won’t be available in game one.
Marc-Andre Fleury PIT (DTD) – Out with a concussion, Fleury is quoted saying he is “taking things one day at a time”. He was present at practice on Monday, but his availability is highly questionable at this point.
Matt Murray PIT (DTD) – He is currently day-to-day with an upper body injury, his status for Wednesday is unknown.
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Mats Zuccarello NYR (DTD) – He sat out the final game of the season with a lower body injury. He is expected to be ready to go Wednesday night.
Ryan McDonagh NYR (IR) – Suffering from an upper body injury, McDonagh is expected to miss the beginning of the opening round series.
Dan Girardi NYR (DTD) – After sitting out the final game, plus Monday’s practice, Girardi is expected to return Tuesday and be ready to play the following night.
Viktor Stalberg NYR (DTD) – He sat out the final regular season match-up, but returned to practice on Monday. Stalberg is expected to play in game one.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers: Team Comparison
Goaltending:
Marc-Andre Fleury/Matt Murray vs. Henrik Lundqvist/Antti Raanta
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There’s no way the Penguins can win a series with Jeff Zatkoff between the pipes, they’ll need one of their injured netminders healthy. Whether it’s Fleury or Murray in goal, the Pens are confident they can win with either.
At the other end, King Henrik is on a quest to raise Lord Stanley above his head after several years of falling short. Lundqvist has a career playoff record of 54 wins 56 losses with nine shutouts. He has a 2.22 goals-against-average and .923 save percentage over that span.
Advantage: New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist ranks among the top each and every year proving stability between the pipes for New York. Elite netminders such as himself have the ability to steal games, or make those game-changing saves to keep their team close.
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Defense:
Pittsburgh is led by likely Norris candidate Kris Letang who finished the season with 67 points. Unfortunately, there’s a significant drop-off in talent beyond.
Olli Maatta is next best defender, showing a lot of promise in 2015-16 – although starting the playoffs banged up may have an effect if he Pens go deep. Pittsburgh may need to look to Justin Schultz and Derrick Pouliot in hopes of providing additional offense from the back-end.
The Rangers defensive group is a little banged up, most notably with Ryan McDonagh missing to open the series.
Luckily, the Rangers own one of the NHL’s deepest defensive groups. Look for players such as Marc Staal, Dan Boyle, and Keith Yandle to step up and help fill the void while their captain recovers.
Advantage: New York Rangers
The Rangers are arguably built better than any other team from the blue-line back (defense and goaltending). They have no problem keeping the puck out of their net, it’s the mediocre offensive group the hockey world questions.
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Offense:
Pittsburgh will look to their superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to help carry this team deep into the playoffs.
After a mediocre season, Phil Kessel exploded down the stretch as Pittsburgh was faced with key injuries. It seems the prolific goal-scorer does better with a supporting cast willing to feed him the puck – might explain his success in Toronto with Tyler Bozak. If Mike Sullivan decides to keep the hot line together, the Penguins will test the Rangers defensive depth in the match-up game.
New York is hoping their superstar trade deadline addition of Eric Staal can help be a difference maker. A big problem plaguing the Rangers was their inability to win key face-offs at opportune times late in games. Eric Staal not only has the veteran experience/leadership, but also a Stanley Cup ring from back in 2006 when he lead the Carolina Hurricanes with 100 regular-season points.
Advantage: Pittsburgh Penguins
Crosby and Malkin are two of the best players on the entire planet. Include sniper Phil Kessel, and several quality secondary pieces throughout their top 12, Pittsburgh has a far more dangerous group of forwards.
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Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers: X-Factors
Nick Bonino/Carl Hagelin PIT – The pair have found chemistry with Phil Kessel down the stretch, and Sullivan would be wise to keep the trio together. Bonino had a slow-start after coming over from Vancouver in the offseason (dealt with injuries), but bounced back nicely in the second half. Hagelin was a disappointment for Anaheim after being acquired from New York in the offseason, but he’s producing at a high rate since being traded to Pittsburgh for David Perron. Hagelin is now set to face his old team after four years on Broadway.
Bryan Rust/Beau Bennett PIT – It’s easy to overlook the Pens supporting cast, but here are a couple of names to keep an eye on. Rust is a speedy winger that can be a nightmare for the opposition, while Bennett is finally taking strides in his development after a disappointing 2014-15 season.
Derrick Pouliot/Justin Schultz PIT – Letang will do what he does best, providing stability on both sides of the puck. Pittsburgh needs one of Pouliot/or Schultz to step up and provide offense from the back-end.
Rick Nash NYR – It was a disappointing season for New York’s superstar as Nash only managed 34 points in 60 games. On a team absent of high-end offensive talent, New York will need their star winger to step up in a big way.
Eric Staal NYR – Barring anymore situations where Alain Vigneault opts to take Staal off the ice at the end of a game after winning nearly 20+ face-offs, the Rangers have a solid option for key draws. Whether it’s winning a face-off in the defensive zone to help preserve a one-goal lead, or an attempt to win the draw for a scoring opportunity down one late in a game, Eric Staal can be a difference maker for New York.
Next: Round 1 Preview: Tampa Bay vs Detroit
Prediction:
Pittsburgh Wins Series 4-3