The New York Rangers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight year. Here we go again.
By Chris Wengert
Whenever the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins meet in the playoffs it’s always an intense affair.
But following the events of this season, this year’s series is sure to be a doozy.
You know, the whole “net” incident.
The first time the two teams clashed in the playoffs in recent memory was two years ago, when the Rangers made a run that fizzled out in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Rangers Fans: It’s Time To Get Pumped Up
That series is a sore spot over in Pittsburgh not because the Rangers won, but because of how they won.
That of course, was the series in which Martin St. Louis lost his mother and made some history when he scored the first goal in Game Six, which happened to be played on Mother’s Day.
St. Louis wrote a great article in The Players’ Tribune about that series.
The Rangers eventually won three straight games after being down 3-1, and stole the series.
A year later the Rangers and Penguins would meet once again, this time in the first round.
The circumstances however, were different.
This was a Rangers team that had won the President’s Trophy, and expectations were high. Ironically enough, it was former Ranger and current Penguin Carl Hagelin who iced the series after netting an overtime goal in Game Five.
Fast forward to this season, and many Rangers fans were hoping to avoid the Penguins in the first round but to no avail.
Should fans really be afraid of this match-up?
Let’s go through some positives and negatives of the match up, possible x-factors, and predictions.
