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

Can't ask for a better opponent

November 12, 2019, 1:38 PM ET [171 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Penguins won’t be icing their best lineup tonight when they visit MSG to play the New York Rangers. This is on brand for the 2019-20 season as they’ve very rarely had their best lineup available to them. Before they were without Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad. This was an annoyance, but the team could still function. Now they are missing Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. This is problematic. Crosby and Letang are their best forward and best defenseman unlike Malkin (who is awesome) and Bjugstad (who is replacement level at the moment).

Good news though, the Rangers are one of the worst teams in hockey. They have some intriguing players in Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Kaapo Kakko, and Jacob Trouba. However, things have not come together for the Rangers. New York is going through a rebuild so it isn’t the end of the world they are not competing for a playoff spot. Currently the Rangers are dead last in CF% at 42.74 and are 30th overall in xGF% at 42.71. In year’s past the goaltending could elevate an underperforming team with Henrik Lundqvist, but they are middle of the pack with a 5v5 save percentage of .916.

For an understaffed Penguins team this is exactly the opponent you want on the schedule at this time. Sure, any team can win on any given night, but you’d rather have the Rangers than the Capitals right now.

Thanks for reading!
Join the Discussion: » 171 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Ryan Wilson
» Penguins earn victory on Jake night
» A salute to Jake Guentzel
» Sid puts on show as Avs dig out of hole
» A dud in Dallas
» My thoughts on Dubas' thoughts