One Rangers defeat down this week, two more to go.
The Penguins and Rangers are right back at it for their second game out of three this week. This time they're in hostile territory for Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden in front of what's sure to be a less-than-welcoming but electric crowd. The Pens are leading the season series against NYR 2-0 and won the first meeting of this three-game set on Sunday in a dramatic overtime victory courtesy of "Mr. Clutch" Kris Letang.
These teams are set to clash once again and both come into this game with minimal injury woes, their starting netminders in goal, and all the stars that typically headline this series ready to put on a show. Tonight's game and the rubber match immediately following it once live from New York on Saturday night is must-see NHL TV. Let's jump right into breaking down this marquee matchup for more!
Game Info:
Pens Game #68: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers
Date: March 16, 2023
Time: 7 PM (ET)
Place: New York, NY
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Social Media Hashtags #: #LetsGoPens #NYR
Broadcast Info:
Penguins Broadcast: AT&T Sportsnet
Rangers Broadcast: MSG
Canadian Broadcasts: SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS
Online Stream: ESPN+
Penguins Radio: 105.9 The X/Penguins Radio Network
Rangers Radio: WEPN
Team Matchup:
Records- PIT: 34-23-10, NYR: 38-19-10
Last 10- PIT: 7-2-1, NYR: 5-4-1
Streaks- PIT: 1 Loss, NYR: 1 Win
Standings- PIT: 16th, NYR: 10th
Points- PIT: 78, NYR: 86
Playoff Positions-
PIT: Eastern Conference #7, 1st Wildcard playoff spot.
NYR: Eastern Conference #5, 3rd Metro playoff spot.
Season Series- 2-0 PIT
Series Goals For- PIT: 6, NYR: 4
Team Analytics Comparison:
Goalie Matchup:
Projected starting goalies:
-Tristan Jarry- #35
[Pittsburgh Penguins]
Bio Info: 6' 2", 194 lbs. DOB: 4/29/1995 (27). From: Surrey, BC.
Drafted: 2013- Rd 2, Pk 44 (PIT). Experience: 7th Season.
Record: 20-7-6, 2.95 GAA, .910 SV%
Career vs. NYR: 8-5-0, 2.72 GAA, .904 SV%
🆚
-Igor Shesterkin- #31
[New York Rangers]
Bio Info: 6' 2", 182 lbs. DOB: 12/30/1995 (26). From: Moscow, Russia.
Drafted: 2014- Rd 4, Pk 118 (NYR). Experience: 4th Season.
Record: 30-11-7, 2.64 GAA, .910 SV%
Career vs. PIT: 5-4-1, 2.21 GAA, .920 SV%
Penguins Update:
Ryan Poehling is ready to return. Making his second comeback attempt from a long-nagging upper body injury Poehling is rejoining the roster tonight vs. the Rangers. He skated in line rushes with the fourth line in the gameday practice this morning. Danton Heinen is the man left out as a healthy scratch as Poehling slots back in.
Defensemen Jeff Petry & Jan Rutta both seem clear to play Thursday as well after they left the Montreal game with some bumps and bruises. They’ll be in their usual lineup spots as the second and third left defensemen respectively.
-Injury Report-
-Nick Bonino (F): lacerated kidney, week-to-week.
-Dmitry Kulikov (D): LTIR, lower body, out until April 6th.
-Pens Lines-
The projected Penguins lines for Thursday, March 16, 2023, at the New York Rangers:
(Forwards)
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Alex Nylander
Drew O’Connor - Mikael Granlund - Rickard Rakell
Ryan Poehling - Jeff Carter - Josh Archibald
(Defense)
Marcus Pettersson - Kris Letang
Brian Dumoulin - Jeff Petry
P.O. Joseph - Jan Rutta
(Special Teams)
PP1: Letang, Malkin, Crosby, Rakell, Guentzel
PP2: Petry, Zucker, Rust, Granlund, Carter
PK1: Carter, Archibald, Dumoulin, Petry
PK2: Granlund, Rust, Pettersson, Rutta
Rangers Update:
NYR is down 0-2 on the season series to the Pens but this is the first time Pittsburgh has returned to play in Madison Square Garden since their elimination in Round One of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by a single Game Seven overtime goal. The Penguins will be attempting to exorcise some demons at that arena in this game. The New York crowd will be looking to remind them of their playoff loss. And Rangers will be attempting to defend home ice and replicate their spring success to halt going down 0-3 to the Pens on the season.
Igor Shesterkin will get the nod in net for NY after backup Jaroslav Halak took game one on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
-Injury Report-
-Ryan Lindgren (D): upper body, out indefinitely.
For The Penguins: Evgeni Malkin. Move over Jason Zucker, linemate Malkin is now on his own extended point streak. "Geno" has points in six straight games, nine points in all. That includes two points against the Rangers in their last meeting on Sunday alone. Malkin took the playoff loss last spring in New York hard. At the time there were worries that it might be his last run with the Pens before he re-signed with the team last summer. So expect him to want to prove a particular point in the place that served as the setting for that defeat: That Malk’ is back with the Pens, better than ever, and ready to rewrite a little wrong history.
For The Rangers: Jacob Trouba, unfortunately. The universally most hated man in the league is the one to watch for NYR. He needs to be kept in check both on the scoresheet and for his head-hunting, seeing as Trouba caught the Pens' Alex Nylander with one of his patented shoulder down, yet elbow extended "clean (not so clean) hit" chicken wings maneuvers in the last game. Besides those usual escapades, Trouba also has points in five of the last six games played. Although he was noticeably held blank in one game: vs. the Penguins on Sunday. Pittsburgh will try to replicate that again but he's one who's particularly hot for the Rangers so that task will take lots of attention from the 'Guins skaters.
