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
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.
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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.
Negatives
Let’s take a look at some of the obstacles that the Rangers will need to overcome if they want to win this series.
Right off the bat, here is a small recap of the regular season series between the two teams.
Things went downhill pretty quickly for the Rangers following their first victory over the Pens. It is important to note that the Rangers significantly closed the gap not only in the overall score, but also in shots as the series progressed.
While some will pull out their stat sheets to debate the importance of Corsi stats, which have their place, I always look to overall shots.
The Rangers were out shot in every game except one. Ironically enough, that was also the game in which the Blueshirts lost by the biggest margin.
While some had hoped that Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury might miss some first round games after sustaining a concussion, it’s looking like he will be ready to go Wednesday.
Those shot statistics are important, especially against a goalie that may not be 100% when he returns.
If the current trend continues and the Rangers are not able to find ways to put more shots on net, it will obviously hurt them in this series.
A lot has been made about the recent renaissance that Sidney Crosby is experiencing, but I’d be more worried about the Penguin’s second line:
Carl Hagelin-Nick Bonino-Phil Kessel
This line is fast and deadly. Their strategy centers around Hagelin and Bonino feeding the puck to Kessel, who is one of the more accurate shooters in the league.
While Kessel is usually the one looking to finish the plays, Hagelin’s speed and forechecking ability have proved to be invaluable.
Irony isn’t always kind.
As far as Evgeni Malkin is concerned, his status is up in the air for Wednesday.
The most obvious negative surrounding this series is the loss of Rangers’ captain, Ryan McDonagh.
Even if McDonagh does return, the speed and intensity that is playoff hockey is often too great for returning players to catch up with.
Rookies Brady Skjei and Dylan McIlrath will need step up.
Positives
Despite what some fans think, this series is certainly not all doom and gloom.
First off, it looks like Dan Girardi will be ready for puck drop on Wednesday.
Yes, we all know by now that Girardi has had an awful season but his experience and battle-level will be important in this series, especially with a banged up Rangers blue line.
The Rangers just need Girardi to be serviceable, nothing more.
If he can move the puck up ice with some confidence, it could go a long way to reducing the number of awful turnovers he has been apart of this year.
Dan Boyle is another player who has started to produce again, tallying three points in his last five games (2G, 1A).
That may not seem like anything to be excited about, but with the loss of Ryan McDonagh the Rangers will need someone on the blue line to produce.
Along with Keith Yandle, Dan Boyle can be that guy.
The biggest upside on this Rangers team is still their goalie and King, Henrik Lundqvist.
Some will debate as to whether or not Hank has lost some of the mojo that fans have witnessed over the past few years.
Well the numbers never lie, and Hanks save percentage (.920) and goals against average (2.48) are nothing out of the ordinary.
The Rangers started the season with a very strong effort, which was then followed by one of the worst months of hockey the franchise has experienced in years.
These extremes have disguised the fact that Hank really isn’t having the horrible season that many think he is. His numbers haven’t dipped much at all.
The Rangers are scoring goals this season and will need to continue scoring if they want to make up for some of their defensive woes.
A small tidbit: the Rangers have scored more goals this season (233) than they did in 2014 (214).
X-Factors
The recent emergence of Chris Kreider couldn’t have come at a better time but only time will tell if it will translate into playoff production.
The same can be said for Kevin Hayes, who has finally started to find his game in the past month. He is going to the net and producing on the score sheet.
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I have said throughout the regular season that the Rangers need these two players hitting on all cylinders if they want to be successful, and that couldn’t be more true in this series.
Yes, Pittsburgh has some serious talent, but players like Kreider and Hayes could be the equalizers if they continue to trend upwards.
Then there is Rick Nash.
People need to realize that Rick Nash is not going to be the power forward that they expect him to be, especially in the playoffs.
He can however, continue to be effective in the offensive zone and special teams. If Nash can score the occasional clutch goal, it would be icing on the cake at this point.
Yes, he was injured for a good portion of the regular season but Nash still had an abysmal year, so why fans think that he will find a hot streak in the playoffs is a little disconcerting.
Eric Staal however, can be that guy.
Staal has valuable playoff experience and knows what it takes to win a championship. But the Rangers will need him to break out of the year-long slump he has experienced this season.
Once again, he hasn’t exactly given fans any reason to believe that he will, but that can change.
Then there are the young players.
How will players like Brady Skjei, J.T. Miller, and Jesper Fast handle what is sure to be a fast and physical series, not to mention the pressure?
The Rangers will need these young guys to produce, especially as the ice shrinks with more aggressive defensive coverage.
Prediction
It may be bold, but I think the New York Rangers will steal one of the first two games in Pittsburgh, and win all of their home games.
The team has experienced defensive issues, but I expect the forwards to backcheck with a greater sense of urgency which will go a long way towards aiding this issue.
Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard will be tough for the Pens to handle, and Henrik Lundqvist will be The King.
Chris - how's that prediction, Rangers in six feeling about now.