Following the New York Rangers convincing 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, the team will look to extend its winning streak to two against the fifth-place Pittsburgh Penguins.
At this point in the season, it’s pretty safe to say that the New York Rangers should not be expected to rattle off a ten game winning streak to put themselves back in the postseason conversation. In fact, it’s not even about wins and losses, it’s about the Rangers putting in complete efforts for a full 60 minutes and working on getting better.
In Friday’s contest, the Rangers managed to put together a total team effort and win in convincing fashion against a fringe playoff team in the Buffalo Sabres. For much of the game, it was a one-goal differential, something that the final score did not reflect. It was the hard work that pushed the game over the finish line.
The Pittsburgh Penguins sit one point back of a playoff spot and could leapfrog in with a win against the Rangers. In the two team’s previous matchup, the Penguins won in a dominating 7-2 performance at Madison Square Garden. That came in the back of a miserable stretch of Rangers hockey at the start of the new calendar year.
To be fair, the Rangers are playing much better hockey as of late. With the trade deadline looming, the team is firing on as close to all cylinders as possible even though several players are looking at the prospect of being on a new team in eight days or less.
Here are a few things to keep in mind for Sunday’s matinee against the Penguins in the steel city.