That represents quite the advantage, but the questions surrounding the Rangers' inexperience will linger until they dismiss them with playoff wins. ![]() That will thrust backup Casey DeSmith into the limelight, while the Blueshirts will counter with Vezina Trophy favorite Igor Shesterkin. Pittsburgh is also facing serious concerns in goal, with starter Tristan Jarry out indefinitely with a foot injury. Their aging core is past its prime, while many of the Rangers' key players are just entering theirs. Of course, the Penguins still have championship DNA in the form of stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, but all three are 34 or older. We’ve got to get ready to play a real good team and it should be a good series." "Just because we beat them the last three times, that means nothing to me. "Obviously, we played them three real good games, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not in the picture," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. They've outscored Pittsburgh, 11-4, and generally looked in control while earning a few of their most impressive victories. They went 3-1 in head-to-head meetings this season, including wins in each of the last three. They're 2-5 all-time in playoff series against Pittsburgh, with the last coming in 2016 when they were ousted in the first round, 4-1, on the Pens' march to a Stanley Cup title.īut recent history tells us this may be a best-case scenario for the Blueshirts. Historically, that hasn't been a favorable matchup for the Rangers. But it’s definitely a good feeling getting to game 82, and I’m really looking forward to this." What to know about Rangers-Penguins "We were fortunate enough to clinch earlier than I've been a part of and try to work on our game. "We play 82 games and play every season to make it to playoffs," he added. TAKEAWAYS: It's time for the Rangers to prioritize health TOP 10: Ranking the most valuable Rangers in 2021-22 "We're familiar with what they do and what kind of team that is, but it’s 0-0," Mika Zibanejad said. But when the dust settled, a 3-2 Rangers' win over the Caps coupled with a 5-3 Penguins' win over the Columbus Blue Jackets sealed a first-round showdown that will begin with Game 1 in New York on either Monday or Tuesday. The biggest threat to crash the party were the Washington Capitals, who were visiting Madison Square Garden on Friday with a chance to leapfrog Pittsburgh in the race. ![]() The Blueshirts created some separation, but the Pens remained in third place, setting up a likely first-round meeting.īut in recent weeks, the standings tightened, raising the possibility that each team's opponent could change. ![]() The matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins began to materialize at the midway point of the season, at which time the two teams were battling for second place in the Metro Division. NEW YORK - By the time the 2012-22 NHL regular season came to a close Friday night, the Rangers were staring down the same playoff opponent they've been anticipating for the last couple months.
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