NEW YORK – If the significance of Friday’s matchup at Madison Square Garden is at all in question, the Penguins need only to take a brief glance at the standings.
Pittsburgh sits in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 88 points. Just three points behind, the New York Rangers are nipping at their heels with 85.
If the season ended today? You’re looking at a first-round postseason matchup.
“That's going to be, probably, the biggest game of the year up til now,” Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson said. “It's a four-point game in the sense that if we get two in regulation, we're impeding them from getting two. That can go a long way into securing home-ice advantage for that possible series.”
A playoff-like atmosphere and a postseason-style game with tight checking and great goaltending defined the first meeting on Feb. 26 at PPG Paints Arena. Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry proved why he earned an All-Star game nod, outdueling Hart Trophy candidate Igor Shesterkin with a 27-save shutout. Evgeni Malkin provided the offense on the power play to lift the Penguins to a 1-0 victory.
Given the quality of opponent and the physical style, it was a blueprint game for the Penguins. The Rangers are a team that can, sometimes, be willing to open things up, trading chances to capitalize on their potent transition attack. However, the Penguins stuck to structure, limiting the quality and quantity of shots.
“Whether it was the D-zone, neutral zone, offensive zone, I think all five guys were working together,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “That's the kind of effort we need playing big games and playing good teams.”
When it comes to the playoffs, the Penguins boast the longest postseason streak in North American sports. Meanwhile, the Rangers have appeared in just three playoff games during the past four years. Their lone appearance came in the postseason bubble in 2020, when they were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.
However, the Rangers have been building toward this moment.
Their roster features an intriguing mix. It includes young, high-end talent, most notably 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière and defending Norris Trophy-winning blueliner Adam Fox. They’ve infused that young core with star power like Mika Zibanejad, yearly Hart Trophy-candidate Artemi Panari and Chris Kreider, who by the way, is in the midst of a 42-goal, career year.
This offseason, New York’s front office punched up the physicality as well, acquiring former Penguin Ryan Reaves. Add in the aforementioned Shesterkin, whose league-leading .936% save percentage is eye-popping enough to make him not only the leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy, but also a realistic possibility to compete for the league’s MVP.
“They're one of the top teams in the league right now,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. “Pretty sure that it's going to be a great atmosphere, especially at [Madison Square Garden]. You get a lot of emotion.”
This game kicks off a stretch that includes three of the next seven against the Rangers. But it’ll be the first time the teams have played with their new additions.
On deadline day, the Penguins added the scoring punch of Anaheim Ducks forward Rickard Rakell. Meanwhile, the Rangers added depth in Justin Braun, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte, and Frank Vatrano to balance out the back end of their roster.
When it comes to the Xs and Os, the Rangers have recently been struggling to score goals at even strength. They rank in the bottom five in the league in expected goals. But on the power play, they’re lethal. New York has converted on 26.7% of its chances with the man-advantage, which ranks second best. Conversely, the Penguins’ penalty kill ranks second, snuffing out 86.4% of chances. That’ll make the special teams matchup especially critical.
At the same time, with just 17 games left on the Penguins’ schedule, and 18 remaining for the Rangers, from here on out, every night is expected to be a battle.
“The runway is getting shorter, and that's when everybody tends to watch the standings,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. “It's fun to play at this time of year. There's a lot at stake for both teams each and every night.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: March 25, 2022, 10:00 a.m.