Photo Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Fresh off their loss to Anaheim, the Rangers are hosting the Penguins tonight looking to continue strong play and rebuild momentum. The Rangers didn’t play poorly on Monday against Anaheim, but two early defensive mistakes and stellar goaltending by Frederik Andersson spelled doom. Marc-Andre Fleury is not a consistent netminder, and the defense is improved, but not stellar. That offense is a machine though. Staying out of the penalty box is a must tonight.
Dan Bylsma has the Penguins running an aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck in the offensive zone and encourages puck pursuit in most situations. In the DZ, Pittsburgh uses a low zone defense, taking out lanes and protecting the slot. The Pens are ranked 5th in the league in blocked shots and still average over 3 goals a game. Bylsma is another coach who likes to keep his foot on the gas pedal, with no lead based trapping.
Rangers Lineup (unconfirmed):
Chris Kreider–Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Carl Hagelin–Brad Richards–Ryan Callahan
Derick Brassard-Brian Boyle-Benoit Pouliot
Taylor Pyatt-Derek Dorsett-J.T. Miller
Ryan McDonagh–Dan Girardi
Marc Staal–Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-John Moore
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start
PP1: Del Zotto-Richards, Kreider-Stepan-Brassard
PP2: McDonagh-J. Moore, Pouliot-Callahan-Zuccarello
Scratches: Rick Nash (concussion), Dominic Moore (oblique), Brandon Mashinter (healthy), Justin Falk (healthy)
Game time is 7:30pm tonight. Don’t forget to check out our Rangers Tickets link for deals to attend games.
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