New York Rangers Look To Take 2-0 Series Lead

Game two of the first round between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins gets underway tonight

Time: 8:00 pm EST
Location: Madison Square Garden- New York, NYC
Where to watch/listen: NBC(SN), MSG/ WEPN 98.7

After a couple of days to digest the happenings on Thursday night, the two teams get back to work and with a goal of winning four games.

With the Rangers leading the series 1-0, they will try to mimic their success while trying to improve in areas of their game, namely the power play and protecting their goalie.

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New York Rangers

The team held onto Game One and came away with a victory. Despite the win, there are a couple of areas that that stuck out.

The power play continues to be a weak link. Last game, the Rangers went one for five with the man-advantage, with four coming in the first period. They need to take advantage of the opportunities given and not squander them away.

The other area that the team should improve on is protection around the net. It was clear within the first 10 minutes, that the Pittsburgh Penguins goal was to crash the net aggressively and often. Ryan McDonagh will have their hands full all night.

The team will get back Dan Girardi, who left Game One after taking an accidental shot and stick to his face. He appears to be good to go for tonight’s tilt.

Unfortunately, defenseman Kevin Klein will not be available. He is still not cleared by the team’s medical staff for contact, after breaking his arm late this season. However, the team remains hopeful Klein will see action this round.

A player to watch for is Dan Boyle. The veteran defenseman had a tough time clearing traffic in front of his own net. The veteran defenseman was a -1 and partly responsible for the Penguins’ only goal. Look for him to improve in Game Two.

Pittsburgh Penguins

After an undisciplined first 20 minutes and being pinned down early in the game 2-0, the Penguins looked to have tighten up their play the rest of the game Thursday night.

Head coach Mike Johnston and his coaching staff must have said something at first intermission about taking unnecessary penalties and getting back to what they do best. They pinned the Rangers in their own zone and created havoc around the net.

Look for more of the same tonight, but keep an eye out for Maxim Lapierre. He was seen chirping with Derick Brassard all night and was one of the players found around the net in Game One.

Goaltenders:

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist will be in net tonight. In Game One, he stopped 24 of 25 shots and looked in control all night. When the Penguins applied pressure, Lundqvist was there to answer. Expect continued traffic in his area from the Penguins, as they will strive to have bodies in and around the net.

The Penguins will counter with Marc-Andre Fleury. After giving up a quick goal within 28 seconds of the first period, he went to give another first period goal. However, he looked to be unphased, as he stopped 38 of 40 shots faced. Looking for a meltdown was not in the cards that game. Fleury was the main reason he kept his team in the game.

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