The New York Rangers kick off their first game of 2019 with a contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night at the Garden.
- New York Rangers (17-14-7)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (21-12-6)
- Television: NBCSN, 7:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
The New York Rangers take their two-game winning streak back to Madison Square Garden as they are set to face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers won both of their last two games played on the road against Nashville and St. Louis. The two games were their first wins on the road in regulation this season.
The Rangers were lucky to get out of St. Louis with the win as they were outplayed throughout the whole game, but Henrik Lundqvist once again led the way for the Blueshirts.
The Rangers were outshot 40-23 in the game but strong special teams on the power play (1-for-2) along with a perfect night killing penalties (St. Louis was 0-for-4 on the power play) contributed to the win.
Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup after missing time with a separated shoulder. Boo Nieves played an eventful game as he was named the number two star of the night.
The Rangers are led in goals by Chris Kreider with 20. Mika Zibanejad continues to lead the team in points with 34 and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist currently has 2.81 goals against average.
David Quinn has not announced who would be starting in goal, but it’s safe to assume Lundqvist will get his 30th start of the season Wednesday. His record is currently 12-9-7.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the Stanley Cup conversation once again. Sidney Crosby leads the team in goals (18) and points (48) as the Pens are coming off a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.
Pittsburgh’s special teams have been playing extremely well this season. Their power play is ranked fifth in the NHL with a 26.6 percent success rate. The penalty kill unit sits sixth at 83.6 percent.
Pittsburgh goalie Casey DeSmith is 12-6-02 with two shutouts appearing in 25 games.
Following Wednesday nights game, the two teams will have three games remaining.
Feb. 17 @ Pittsburgh
Mar. 25 @ New York
Apr. 6 @ Pittsburgh
