Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

GAMEDAY! Pens look to stop Streaking Rangers

January 6, 2012, 11:30 AM ET [ Comments]
John Toperzer
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
NY Rangers (25-9-4, 13-6-2 Road) at Pen (21-13-4, 11-4-2 Home), CONSOL, 7:00 PM EDT

Follow me on Twitter @JohnToperzer


The Penguins have some work to do. Two points ahead of ninth-place New Jersey, Pittsburgh does not have a track record of success against the Rangers in recent years. In 2010-11, the Pens went 2-3-1 against New York, including an 0-2-1 mark at CONSOL Energy Center. This year the Rangers won the only meeting between the teams, posting a 4-3 win at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 29.

In the same fashion coach Dan Bylsma calls out player’s names during pre-game speeches 'Sid, are you ready? Good, ‘cuz you’re starting,' the entire team better be prepared for tons of action. 'Team, are you ready? Good, ‘cuz you’re playing 11 games in the next 19 days.' After Saturday's game against New Jersey, the Pens have back-to-back four-game weeks.

Given the way Pittsburgh and New York have been playing, Friday’s game might mean more to the Pens’ psyche than to the Rangers’. New York has won three straight, including the Winter Classic on Monday, and leads the entire NHL with 54 points in 38 games. The Penguins lost their last game – 3-1 in New Jersey – and have had five days to stew over their muddling performance. The Pens are only one game over .500 (11-10-1) since Nov. 11 and sit in sixth place with 46 points in 38 games.


*****


Pens-Rangers: By the Numbers


Goals For/Against

Pens 3.10-2.58
NYR 2.95-2.05


5-on-5 Play

Pens 1.04
NYR 1.35


Power Play

Pens 19 percent, 15-for-79 (Home)
NYR 10.1 percent, 7-for-69 (Road)


Penalty Kill

Pens 92.2 percent, 47-of-51 (Home)
NYR 85.7 percent, 66-of-77 (Road)


Record Leading After First/Second Periods

Pens 12-2-3/12-0-2
NYR 7-1-1/15-0-2


Trailing After First/Second Periods

Pens 6-7-1/3-10-1
NYR 4-5-2/3-6-1


Record Scoring First Goal/Allowing First Goal

Pens 14-4-3/7-9-1
NYR 18-1-1/7-8-3


Faceoffs

Pens 49.9 percent, 1171-1174
NYR 49.5 percent, 1056-1078

New York has trouble on both ends of special teams away from home.

No team has a better record than the Rangers do when they score the game’s first goal.

The Rangers are one of four teams with more than 1000 hits (1060). The Pens have 857 hits.

The Pens have the seventh-most missed shots (497).

The Pens have the fourth-fewest giveaways (243) while the Rangers have the third fewest (233).


*****

Game Notes

The Penguins recalled Colin McDonald on Friday morning. McDonald has 28 points (8, 20) in 33 games for the Baby Pens. He had a strong showing early in camp and earned a start in back-to-back preseason contests. Let’s hope he gets a chance over Steve MacIntyre.

Zbynek Michalek missed Friday’s game-day skate. Let’s hope the concussion that kept him out of action hasn’t returned.

Steve Sullivan and Pascal Dupuis are both taking part in practice.

Paul Martin appears on track to return Friday against the Rangers.

Kris Letang skated before practice with Dustin Jeffrey and Arron Asham, according to ROOT Sports.


Here are the line combos, according to the Penguins’ Web site.

Kunitz-Malkin-Neal

Dupuis-Staal-Kennedy

Sullivan-Park-Cooke

Adams-Vitale-McDonald
(MacIntyre)

The six defensemen (Bortuzzo, Lovejoy, Niskanen, Orpik, Engelland, Martin) rotated at each end.


*****


RINK LINKS


Martin, Michalek ready to team up again, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Not so fast, Michalek did not take part in the team’s game-day skate Friday morning.




Rangers take new team-building approach, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.




Pivotal weekend for the Pens, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.


*****



Treasure Life! & Let's Go Pens!
JT
Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment
More from John Toperzer
» To Bylsma or not to Bylsma, that is the poll question
» Game Night: A light-hearted approach to Game 4
» Pens better in Game 3 but still unable to beat Bruins
» Game Night: Pens need Wednesday win to keep dream alive
» History suggests Pens-Bruins series not over