6 Things Pens Need To Do To Beat Rangers
The Stanley Cup is merely the physical representation of every NHL player's ultimate pursuit of immortality.
It only takes 16 precious wins to become worthy enough of such a treasure.
Win it and your name will be forever etched in history, both figuratively and literally.
For the Penguins, that quest begins tonight in New York against the top-seeded Rangers.
After limping into the playoffs, there's no logical reason to think the Penguins will flip the script on the Rangers and avenge last year's seven-game playoff defeat.
However, this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs and anything can happen. The Los Angeles Kings are proof of that after winning the Cup as an 8-seed in 2012.
With that in mind, here are six things the Penguins can do to defy the odds and win this series.
Neutralize The Rangers' Speed
The New York Rangers hold a clear edge in team speed. One way to neutralize that advantage is to possess the puck.
If the Penguins start turning the puck over in the neutral zone and allow the Rangers to get odd-man rushes on the counter-attack, they will be in trouble.
"We do feel that we have a team capable of beating this Rangers team," defenseman Ben Lovejoy said during a recent interview on 93-7 The Fan. "The thing that they do so well is their speed . They're able to capitalize on mistakes in the neutral zone, on turnovers to the neutral zone, and they really make teams pay with their team speed. What we've focused on – we haven't necessarily had success with it, but we've been playing a smarter game. Our key to beating the Rangers is being smart through the neutral zone and not letting them get 3-on-2s, 4-on-2s, 2-on-1s, because that's when a team like that can make you pay."
Aside from that, the Penguins' defense will need to keep a good gap with oncoming Rangers attackers.
Respect the speed, but the Penguins can't give up the defensive blue line easily and must force plays to the outside to limit the danger.
Marc-Andre Fleury Has To Steal A Game (Or Two)
Let's face it, the Penguins could very well have missed the playoffs this season had it not been for the stellar play of Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury matched a career best 2.32 GAA set back in 2010-11. His .920 save percentage was the second best of his career (.921 in 2007-08 in only 35 games). He also led the league with 10 shutouts.
Fleury appeared in 64 games this season. Rough math shows he pitched a shutout once every 6.4 games. If the math holds up for the playoffs, Fleury gets one in the series.
He did post back-to-back shutouts against the Rangers last year, so getting one isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Other than that, if Fleury can steal a second game, the Penguins have a shot.
Invade The King's Castle
Part of the reason the Penguins failed to eliminate the Rangers a year ago was because they didn't pay a price in and around Henrik Lundqvist's net.
To solve that problem, the Penguins went out and acquired the likes of Patric Hornqvist, David Perron, Steve Downie, etc.
Lundqvist is one of the best goaltenders in the world. Giving a guy like him clear lines of sight isn't exactly advisable if you want success.
Being around his crease, setting up screens and being available for rebound chances is how the Penguins have to approach this series.
Of course, putting the puck on net instead of passing incessantly plays a role in that equation as well.
The Penguins have gotten to Lundqvist in the past. He may be great, but he is human.
Pepper him with shots, crash the crease, rattle his cage a little bit, whatever it takes, but get to the net early and often.
Score On The Power Play
Remember in 2011 when the Penguins went 1-for-35 on the power play in a seven-game series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning? A repeat performance of that would be unadvisable against New York.
By no means am I suggesting the power play hover around the 50 percent mark. They just need to convert enough to send a message.
Much has been made of the on-ice battles between Sidney Crosby Rangers' defenseman Marc Staal. The extra whacks and hits to Crosby after the play, etc.
The best way to curb that? Score on the power play.
At the very least, if the Penguins can plant that little seed of doubt in the Rangers' minds, they will have won a battle in the war.
It will be a win if they can make the Rangers even think, "If I take that extra shot at him, I could cost my team."
Will it stop all of the extracurricular activity? Of course not. But, any edge gained will be worth it. If teams don't respect your power play, what's to stop them from taking those extra liberties?
Hurt them on the scoreboard and you send a message.
One final thing about the power play, stop giving up shorthanded goals. This doesn't need further explaining.
Moving on…
Composure, Composure, Composure
Far too often we've seen this team unravel because they lost their composure. A prime example of this would be the Flyers' series a couple of years ago. What a nightmare that was.
Teams around the league, and especially in the Metropolitan Division, have figured out how to get Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin off their game - extra little jabs after whistles, knocking helmets off during board battles, etc. Sound familiar?
That said, guys like Downie, Spaling, Comeau, etc. need to step up for the star players when the Rangers start getting out of line.
I'm not saying take ill-advised penalties, but stepping in and making it known that kind of play won't be tolerated will be a vast improvement over previous years.
Anyway, the Rangers were 21st in the league on the power play this season at 16.8 percent.
Just because they were in the lower third of the league doesn't mean you tempt fate and give them needless chances.
Play smart and play hard. That's all I'm asking.
Crosby & Malkin Need To Shine
The Penguins will need secondary scoring in this series, but that alone will not win it for them.
Simply put, Crosby and Malkin have to put this team on their back.
In his last 27 playoff games, Crosby has eight goals and 16 assists. In 13 games last year, Crosby had just one goal and it came against the Rangers.
While 24 points in the last 27 games is nothing to sneeze at, the Penguins will need Sid to light the lamp and be a dominant force.
As for Malkin, he had 6 goals and 8 assists in 13 playoff games last year. Against the Rangers, Malkin had 3 goals and 3 assists.
Nearly a point a game wasn't enough last year and it likely won't be in this series either.
Trust me, I know how ridiculous that sounds, but it's the unfortunate reality.
It has been suggested that Malkin is playing hurt right now. He hasn't scored in 10 games entering the playoffs.
Here's hoping a few days of rest has done wonders for him and he recaptures some playoff magic.
At minimum, if the Pens do these things, they will have a shot.
I was searching for a snappy ending to this piece, but this was the only thing that seemed fitting:
Let's. Go. Pens.
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