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Top 3 Ways The Rangers Can Beat Pittsburgh On Opening Night

Breaking down the three ways the Rangers can take home a win in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

By Adam Denker |
May 26, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New York Rangers center Alex Wennberg (91) celebrates with center Jack Roslovic (96) and right wing Kaapo Kakko (24) after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Florida Panthers in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
May 26, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New York Rangers center Alex Wennberg (91) celebrates with center Jack Roslovic (96) and right wing Kaapo Kakko (24) after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Florida Panthers in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images


The Blueshirts are coming off a postseason in which they once again finished short of their ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup back to Broadway. The New York Rangers are set to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a divisional showdown Wednesday night on the road to kick off their 2024-25 season. On paper, the Rangers will come off as the better team, but no NHL game has ever been won before hitting the ice. In anticipation of Wednesday's showdown, we break the three ways the Rangers can start the season off with a win.

Attack The Net Often And Early

The Penguins will do their best to hold off the many weapons of the Rangers on Wednesday, and leading their defensive effort will be goaltender Tristian Jarry. The Pittsburgh goaltender picked up two wins in as many games against the Rangers during the 2023-24 season. To stop Jarry from continuing his winning ways against the Rangers, head coach Peter Laviolette will be prudent to emphasize an offensive flurry in the opening minutes. New York struggled mightily last season as they scored only 67 of their total 278 goals in the first period. The Rangers were virtually unbeatable last season when they got on the board first. New York would finish the season with a record of 35-8-3 when they scored first. Let's hope they continue that trend Wednesday night.

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Win The Battles On Special Teams

The Rangers will have to perform crisply on the power play and penalty kill to keep the pressure on the Penguins. Pittsburgh finished 30th in the NHL on the power play last season, and New York will look to combat that with its third-ranked penalty kill. Anyone who has watched a good amount of hockey knows that playing disciplined on special teams can tip the ice in favor of either team. For as good as they are on the are the penalty kill, the Blueshirts are no slouches on the powerplay as well. They posted a third-best 26.4% on the powerplay last season will hope to continue that success against the lowly Pens.

Production From The Third Line

The one thing that has become more and more prevalent across the NHL is the importance of production from the third line. In recent years, one of the recipes for winning Stanley Cups has been success from the bottom six. It will all start in the opener as the Rangers will roll out the third line of Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko. All eyes will be on Chytil as he played 10 games last season due to lingering effects from a concussion. Cuylle and Kakko notched 13 goals each and will look to build upon that with a top-notch center to facilitate. As all attention will be focused on the Rangers top six, it will certainly leave the third line open to be the game-changer in Pittsburgh.

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