Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby and Tristan Jarry return for Game 7
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's do-or-die for the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday as they'll battle the New York Rangers one final time in a deciding game seven.
After going up 3-1 in the series and maintaining multiple-goal leads throughout games five and six, the Rangers clawed their way back to even up the series at three games apiece.
The biggest question mark for the Penguins was the statuses of goalie Tristan Jarry and Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby. Both Jarry and Crosby were present at the team's optional skate Saturday morning, and both hit the ice for warmups ahead of Sunday's game.
The two will make their return for Game 7, according to the team. Coach Mike Sullivan called them "game-time decisions" ahead of Sunday's matchup.
WE'RE FEELIN' REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 15, 2022
Welcome back Crosby, Rakell, and Jarry!#PensIn7 pic.twitter.com/dM9SbUMCr6
For the Penguins, luck and history may be on their side. Pittsburgh boasts a stellar record in elimination games as the visiting team.
The @penguins are the only NHL club without a Game 7 defeat as a visitor (min. 2 GP) and their 6-0 record on the road stands as the longest Game 7 road winning streak in NHL history. pic.twitter.com/4G9qY9rIhS
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) May 15, 2022
However, the Rangers have many capable goalscorers, with the likes of Mika Zibanejad (two goals), Chris Kreider (four goals), Andrew Copp (four goals), and Alexis Lafreniere (two goals) all providing an offensive boost for New York.
Star goaltender, Igor Sheshterkin, will likely be in net for the Rangers. Through six games, the Penguins have found success against the Russian. Sheshterkin has posted a .906 save percentage and 3.82 goals-against average, per the NHL.
If Pittsburgh wins, they will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018.