Game 36 Preview: Penguins Vs. Rangers
NEW YORK (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games when they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden tonight.
The Penguins aren't letting the vast amount of injuries slow them down much as they have gone 9-1-0 in their last 10 games.
Their play of late has given them a 10-point lead in the Metropolitan Division over the Washington Capitals.
On Monday, the Penguins came out flying against the Toronto Maple Leafs and skated away with a 3-1 victory.
Sidney Crosby's goal at the 13:57 mark of the third period broke a 1-1 tie and Brandon Sutter sealed the deal with a shorthanded empty net goal.
Chris Conner opened the scoring for the Penguins. Brian Dumoulin was credited with an assist on Conner's goal for his first NHL point.
In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury (19-8-1, 1.98 GAA, .925 save percentage) was brilliant again and turned aside 25 shots in the win.
As for the New York Rangers, they are one of six teams in a log jam in the Metropolitan Division standings.
The Rangers enter tonight's game with 33 points, which is good enough for fifth in the division. However, they are only one point ahead of New Jersey and Columbus.
They are also only two points behind the third-place Carolina Hurricanes for the final automatic playoff spot.
On Sunday, the Rangers defeated the Calgary Flames 4-3 in a shootout, which snapped a four-game losing streak to start a nine-game home stand.
Brad Richards leads the team with nine goals and 25 points. Derek Stepan is a close second with 22 points.
In goal, Henrik Lundqvist (10-14-1, 2.71 GAA, .909 save percentage) isn't putting up the kind of numbers we're used to seeing this season.
In each of his last five starts, Lundqvist has allowed at least three goals.
Against the Penguins, Lundqvist is 24-18-6 with a 2.39 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
For Pittsburgh, Crosby continues to lead the league with 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists). In 44 career games against the Rangers, Crosby has 20 goals and 39 assists.
Fleury has had success against the Rangers in the past. He is 24-14-7 with a 2.71 GAA and a .910 save percentage against New York in his career.
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two clubs, with the Rangers taking the first game 5-1 on Nov. 6.
The puck is set to drop at 8 p.m. and you can watch the game on NBC Sports Network.
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