As announced by Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan on Friday morning, key Penguins players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be out in the rapidly upcoming matchup versus the New York Rangers.
This is great news for the Rangers — as Crosby is Pittsburgh's leading scorer with 58 points in 55 games. Not to mention, Malkin is fifth on the team with 34 points. This makes it easier for the Blueshirts to earn a crucial two points in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Feb. 7th matchup in especially important because it is the first of a back-to-back before the Rangers get two weeks off due to theNHL's 4 Nations Faceoff.
With those two previously mentioned Pittsburgh players out, let's take a look at Rickard Rakell who is now obviously the opposing team's player to watch ahead of puck drop.
Rickard Rakell
Rakell is the penguins' next leading scorer after Crosby. He has 46 points off of 24 goals and 22 assists in 54 games played.
The right winger was traded to Pittsburgh by the Anaheim Duckks in March of 2022. The Swedish player has continued to play well on offense. He has just two goals over his last eight outings, but he's added six assists and 24 shots on net in that span.
The 31-year-old got the Penguins on the board in the second period of Tuesday's game. Rakell is up to 24 goals, 22 assists, 141 shots on net, 91 hits, 63 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating over 54 appearances. He last reached the 30-goal mark in 2017-18 with the Ducks, but it's very much within reach this season if he stays healthy.
He was originally the No. 30 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
How to Tune In
Puck drop for the Rangers hosting the Penguins is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST, tonight — Friday, Feb. 7. The game will be streamed via Fubo, ESPN+ and Sling TV and be sure to tune into our Twitter for live updates.