New York Rangers vs. Cup Contenders: Pittsburgh Penguins

Blue Line Station continues its look into how the New York Rangers stack up against the teams ahead of them in the NHL standings, as well as other Cup contenders.

With each game the New York Rangers lose from now until the end of the season, it becomes more likely they will cross over to the Atlantic Division for the playoffs. But either way things play out, if the Rangers want to win the Stanley Cup in 2017, they will likely have to go through the Pittsburgh Penguins to get there.

Two years ago, the Rangers eliminated the Penguins in the first round before bowing out in 7 games to the Tampa Bay Lightning two rounds later. The Penguins got quick revenge last year, steamrolling the Rangers on their way to winning the Stanley Cup.

The Pittsburgh Penguins of 2017 look a lot more like the Cup-winning team of 2016 than the edition the Rangers ousted in 2015.

Related Story: Rangers vs. Cup Contenders: Washington Capitals

Measuring Up

Since hiring head coach Mike Sullivan, the Pittsburgh Penguins have looked like an entirely new team. After a short adjustment period in the middle of the last season, the Penguins have simply been the best team in the NHL.

Their dominating performance in the playoffs last year has continued into the 2016-17 season, even despite a veritable tidal wave of injuries. Young players like Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, Tom Khunhackl, and Jake Guentzel have stepped into the lineup and look like stars in the making.

With the Washington Capitals stumbling down the stretch, it looks likely that the Penguins could finish first overall, winning the President’s Trophy and securing home ice throughout the playoffs.

They play with speed and skill, winning (in dominant fashion) without enforcers or fighters or “grit.” In short, they play the Rangers’ style of game—but with generational talent leading the way.

Related Story: Rangers vs. Cup Contenders: San Jose Sharks

Star Power

It’s the usual suspects for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby remains the best player in the world, and Evgeni Malkin is one of the few players you can make a counter-argument for. Crosby has 77 points in 64 games; Malkin has 72 in 62.

On top of those two center icemen, the Penguins have the polarizing Phil Kessel, the speedy sniper who probably should have won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season as playoff MVP.

(He might also be Twitter MVP, by the way.)

Like with the Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin, Henrik Lundqvist is the only player on the Rangers who can influence a series the way elite talents like Crosby and Malkin do.

In last year’s playoff matchup, Lundqvist was completely hung out to dry by an inept Rangers defense, often facing more high-danger shots than low-danger.

The result was Lundqvist’s worst playoff stat line in his decade in the NHL.

But this year could be different. On top of an improved Rangers team and more mobile defensive corps, Lundqvist should be entering the playoffs healthy.

A pivotal moment in last year’s playoff series was when Marc Staal’s stick accidentally struck Lundqvist in the eye. The scary moment and injury are behind the Rangers’ goaltender now.

Related Story: Rangers vs. Cup Contenders: Montreal Canadiens

X-Factor

It’s difficult to say anyone is more crucial to the Penguins’ hopes of repeating as Stanley Cup champions than their captain, Sidney Crosby. But Crosby’s winger, 24-year-old Conor Sheary, might be the real x-factor for Pittsburgh.

Sheary has missed some time this season, but his numbers leap off the page: 20 goals and 44 points in 50 games. He’s shooting north of 15%. He’s the kind of fast, skilled player who perfectly complements Crosby, and that piece was missing in Pittsburgh after Chris Kunitz starting aging.

Sheary made an impression in the playoffs last season (including 2 goals against the Rangers), his regular season production is on an entirely new level. If he can keep his near-point-per-game pace going in the playoffs, the Penguins will be looking invincible.

The Rangers’ forwards can skate with the Penguins, but the place they’re outclassed is on defense. Rookie Brady Skjei stepped into a top-pair role in the playoffs last year, looking like he belonged in the NHL.

His impressive first regular season suggests that Skjei is ready to be a key player for the Rangers in the playoffs.

Skjei’s effortless skating ability and excellent vision with the puck are exactly what the Rangers need from the blue line if they hope to make it past a team like the Penguins.

Next: Top Rangers Playoff Lineups for 2017

Captain Ryan McDonagh will likely draw the tough matchups against Crosby and Malkin, so it will be up to Skjei to keep the Penguins’ dangerous depth players like Nick Bonino, ex-Ranger Carl Hagelin, and Kessel off the scoresheet.