PITTSBURGH — The last time the Rangers and Penguins met in the postseason, in the second round of the 2008 playoffs, Rangers coach Tom Renney created quite the kerfuffle in a preseries chat with the press by suggesting that Sidney Crosby might get the benefit of the officiating by going down a little too easily.
Then, with the score tied 4-4 with 3:20 to go in the third period of Game 1, Martin Straka was called for a neutral zone interference penalty against Crosby when No. 87 went down after being bumped by the Blueshirts winger with the Penguins on a potential two-on-one rush.
A short time later, Evgeni Malkin blasted a Crosby feed past Henrik Lundqvist for the power-play winner, and the Penguins never looked back, taking the series in five games.
This should serve as a reminder that six years later, it does no good to try to ruffle Crosby and the Penguins with gamesmanship. It’s a lot better to do that with someone like, say, Brandon Dubinsky. Oops.
A look at the matchups:
Offense
Coach Alain Vigneault likes to match the Rangers’ top line of Derek Stepan, Rick Nash and Marty St. Louis against the opposition’s top unit, but it remains to be seen whether Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma will allow it at home and if that’s the best approach against Crosby, who was dogged at nearly every turn by the physical Dubinsky in the six-game first round series against Columbus. Dominic Moore, skating between Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett, is probably best suited to annoy Crosby, but the Blueshirts’ fourth unit may not be able to keep up with No. 87.
The Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello-Benoit Pouliot line that was shackled to a large degree in the tight-quarters series against Philadelphia should thrive in a contest featuring more open ice. Dan Carcillo — who knew? — likely will remain on right wing with Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. Chris Kreider, who has begun handling and shooting the puck, might be available late in the series, which would give the Blueshirts a boost.
Crosby, held without a goal, had a dickens of a time against the Blue Jackets even if his possession numbers would suggest otherwise, appearing so off his game that there was speculation he was playing through an injury. The Rangers don’t pound and ground like Columbus, so this should present a different dynamic. Evgeni Malkin, who recorded a hat trick in Game 6 after being held off the board for the first five matches, is always dangerous. Chris Kunitz lurks around the net, James Neal (of negligible impact in Round One) is an elite goal scorer. Brandon Sutter has emerged into a tough two-way player capable of scoring. Jussi Jokinen has a fairly deft touch. The foot soldiers will mix it up.
Edge: Penguins
Defense
Ryan McDonagh’s Game 7 was his best of the Philadelphia series — the defenseman was strong positionally and decisive with the puck. Dan Girardi, a longtime Crosby foe dating back to the 2004 Memorial Cup, was excellent (other than that pair of Game 6 hiccups) against the Flyers, as was the Marc Staal-Anton Stralman combination that received a great deal of ice against Philadelphia’s top unit. Rangers defensemen will be encouraged to join the attack as often as is prudent after having a muted impact on offense in Round One.
Kris Letang is the ultimate risk-reward defenseman, just as capable of committing an egregious blunder inside either blue line as he is to make a remarkable play. The Rangers will want to harry him and all of the Pittsburgh D with a hard forecheck and force them to make quick decisions. Paul Martin, smooth offensively, isn’t the best one-on-one defender in the league. Matt Niskanen is a good puck mover and dangerous in the offensive zone. Olli Maatta is as talented as they come. Brooks Orpik lurks. Always.
Edge: Rangers
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist was very efficient in Round One, even if not forced to be brilliant. The King will be called upon to be brilliant against elite talent during stretches of this series. The outcome of his personal duels against Crosby and Malkin will go a very long way to determining the outcome of the series.
Marc-Andre Fleury is the Penguins’ postseason lightning rod, much like A-Rod without the PED issue. Much of the Penguins’ occasional jittery play can be attributed to some jitters over the play of their goaltender, who is always prone to surrender a soft one that can send a game off its rails. But Fleury is capable of brilliance, as well. His even-strength save percentage of .948 is third in the playoffs behind Boston’s Tuukka Rask (.966) and Lundqvist (.957).
Edge: Rangers
Special teams
For the Rangers, the first round was an Oy Vey Affair, the power play devolving into a dysfunctional 3-for-29, failing on its final 21 attempts. This after going 7-for-62 in the final 20 games of the regular season. So much is dependent upon decisive puck movement that was utterly lacking both on entries and then on setups. The penalty kill, an asset during the season, was pedestrian against the Flyers.
Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Neal, Kunitz, Jokinen, Niskanen, Martin, Maatta. In other words, talent aplenty on the power play that can be absolutely lethal and went 6-for-29 against Columbus. The penalty kill, 7-for-27 against the Jackets after finishing fifth in the league during the season, will pressure the puck all over the ice.
Edge: Penguins
Coaching
Vigneault, the ultimate it’s-not-about-me coach even if he never once used those words, sticks to the plan, going with four lines, enforcing short shifts, believing in tempo and creativity. His feel for his team and the moment was reflected by his lineup decisions — Jesper Fast replaced by Carcillo replaced by J.T. Miller replaced by Carcillo — throughout Round One.
Bylsma’s team at time becomes unhinged in its own end, but the coach did a remarkable job during a season in which his team was decimated by injuries without the caliber of minor league callups available to the similarly wasted Red Wings. It’s a job in itself managing elite talent, and it’s one at which Bylsma excels.
Edge: Even
Prediction
The Rangers are going to have to score a lot of goals to stay with the Penguins — that means sprinkling in a few on the power play — and Lundqvist is going to have to be the best player on the ice in at least five games in order for the Blueshirts to prevail. Rangers are also going to have to find the way to rattle Crosby, while staying out of the box; isn’t that right, Mr. Renney?
Rangers in sixÂ