Game #26 Preview New York Rangers (11-10-4 26 pts) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (18-6-2 38 pts)

Matchup: New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Location: Madison Square Garden

Time: 7:00pm
Broadcast: MSG Network; ESPN 98.7 FM

A Monday night game at the Garden against the Penguins should be a doozy. The Rangers' loss to the  Detroit Red Wings, where the Rangers had held a two goal first period lead, was truly deflating. But today is a new day and the Rangers will look to rebound with a huge in-division win. The Rangers are twelve points behind the idol Penguins. The Penguins have been dominant with great scoring depth and good goaltending behind Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins will be without Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, and Patric Hornqvist. These scratches should be beneficial to the Rangers. This should be a good game, but this is a must win for the Rangers.



Key Players:

Rangers- Rick Nash, Forward

What hasn't Rick Nash done this year? The man has been on fire and he is starting to look like what the Rangers had traded many top players for. Nash has a team high 17 goals, which is also good for second in the league behind Tyler Seguin. Nash also has 10 assists, which has helped his line mates score much needed goals. Even when Nash doesn't, score he is a threat and this could open up space on the ice for the two other forwards, especially with a thin Pittsburgh defense without Olli Matta, who is not playing due to an undisclosed injury. I would look for Nash to continue his hot start to the season, looking to attack the net early and often.



Penguins- Sidney Crosby, Forward
Hated by Rangers fans, Sidney Crosby will return to the Garden, a place where he usually dominates. Though in the playoffs he struggled, Crosby is still a game changing player. In the first meeting this year, Crosby did little to help his team in a crushing 5-0 loss. Crosby is leading the league in assists and with the talent surrounding him, this will be another tough test for the Rangers defense. Crosby, much like Nash, is a threat on the ice but Crosby is a better facilitator. I would expect Crosby to assist on at least one goal and have a good plus/minus.

Prediction:
After winning the first game of this series in November 5-0, I would look for Pittsburgh to seek some revenge. The Rangers need to come out fast and attack the net in order to jump out in front. The Penguins have the offense to keep up with the Rangers but the Rangers can dominate the defensive side, so an early lead would help. I expect a close game throughout the game, but I will have to favor Pittsburgh in a 4-2 win in regulation.

*We were close with our last prediction, as we got the score right. We just picked the wrong team.* 
*The jersey colors in the pictures are the ones they will wear tonight*