As the regular season has come to an end, Last Word On Sports analyzes every playoff series heading into this week’s action. In the first installment, we take a look at the matchups in five categories: Offense, defense, goaltending, coaching and special teams. We also run down the players to look out for and give our final assessment on how the series will pan out. In the second portion, we will analyze what went down in the series, how the matchups led to the outcome and cover all important storylines.
After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals last season, the New York Rangers are back for another playoff run. They won their first President’s Trophy since the 1993-94 season, and after coming up short against the Los Angeles Kings, the Rangers look poised to give themselves another chance at winning it all.
The Pittsburgh Penguins looked to be a very good team in the first half of the season. The organization went through some major changes, including a new general manager, new head coach, and the James Neal/Patric Hornqvist trade. The Penguins will be seeking revenge on the team that eliminated them last spring, when they held a 3-1 series lead but lost the next three games to lose the series.
The Matchup: Rangers Versus Penguins
Offence
New York’s 252 goals was good for 3rd in the league, while the Penguins 221 goals had them in 18th. Rick Nash’s 42 goals was the 3rd most in the NHL, while Sidney Crosby was 3rd in the league in points with 84. The Penguins have plenty of talent in their top six forward group, having Evgeni Malkin (who had 70 points in 69 games), Chris Kunitz, David Perron, and Hornqvist. However, after the top six, their depth doesn’t look as enticing.
On the other hand, the Rangers also have a very dangerous forward group, with Nash, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, and Martin St. Louis to name a few. They have great depth as well, and can attack in waves, due to how fast many of their skaters are. There aren’t any noticeable holes in their offence, and the Penguins bottom six will have to play incredible hockey to be able to match up against the Rangers top lines.
Advantage: Rangers
Defence
The Rangers already had one of the better defence groups around the league when they acquired Keith Yandle at the trade deadline. They have arguably the best defence, with Captain Ryan McDonagh leading the way, along with Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Dan Boyle. Kevin Klein has been very good too when he’s been able to play.
A healthy Penguins defence actually isn’t as bad as many make it out to be. They played very well together early in the year, but unfortunately for them, they haven’t had much luck with injuries. Kris Letang is one of the best offensive-defencemen around, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to play in this series. Christian Ehrhoff has been battling concussion issues for months now, and then there’s Olli Maatta who is done for the year. What’s left of their defence will need to step up in a big way for them to stop the Rangers.
Advantage: Rangers
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist is always one of the best goaltenders in the league year after year, and despite missing seven weeks due to injury, he’s shaken off the rust and is back to playing like he did earlier in the season. It’s also worth noting just how good backup Cam Talbot is. During Lundqvist’s absence, he was excellent, going 16-4-3.
Marc-Andre Fleury has had another solid regular season, being the only goalie to crack 10 shutouts. However, the focus will yet again be on how well he plays in the playoffs. Facing the top team, and the same one that solved him last spring, doesn’t bode well for Fleury’s chances.
Advantage: Rangers
Coaching
Alain Vigneault has now won his third President’s Trophy in the last five years (the first two with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 and 2012), which is an incredible feat. He has only been with the Rangers organization for two seasons, and he has had quite a lot of success during his tenure there so far. He has a very good chance of being a finalist for the Jack Adams this year.
Mike Johnston will be getting his first taste of playoff hockey at the NHL level as a head coach, and this will be his chance to truly make his mark on the team. He has two of the most talented players in the world at his disposal, so how he utilizes them, and the rest of his players, should be interesting to see. It’s tough to imagine a rookie out-coaching one of the best in the business, but this will give fans an opportunity to see what Johnston is like when facing pressure at the highest level.
Advantage: Rangers
Special Teams
The Rangers powerplay clocks in at just 16.8%, 21st in the league. Considering how much offence the team can generate, it’s a little surprising to see it ranked it the bottom third. Pittsburgh’s powerplay is tied for 8th with a 19.3% efficiency rating. That’s no surprise, considering they load up all of their best players onto one unit.
The Penguins penalty kill might have been their strongest attribute this year, as it’s the 3rd best in the NHL with an 84.8% rating. The Rangers penalty kill isn’t too far behind though, as it was the 6th best with an 84.3% rating.
Advantage: Penguins
Who to Look Out For
For the Rangers: Rick Nash
After only scoring three goals in 25 games during last year’s run, and only having five career playoff goals in 41 games, it’s time for Nash to showcase some of his talent in the post season. He set a new career best with his 42 goals this season, and he appears to be a rejuvenated player from when he first joined the Rangers. He played some of his best hockey against the Penguins this year, posting four goals and three assists in four games. Facing the Penguins could help kick-start a very productive post season.
For the Penguins: Brandon Sutter
While the majority of the offence will have to come from Crosby and Malkin, Pittsburgh will need a solid effort by Sutter if they hope to have a chance of winning. Depth is huge in the playoffs, so they will need him to play well against the Rangers top guns, while scoring a couple of timely goals in the process.
Final Say
The Rangers have a distinct advantage in many ways, with specialty teams being the Penguins only advantage over New York. The Rangers won the season series 3-0-1 and outscored Pittsburgh 16-8. The Penguins might be able to squeak out a win or two from their division rivals, but I think the Rangers will be too much for Pittsburgh to handle, therefore my prediction is that the Rangers will win the series in five games.
Series Predictions From Our Hockey Department:
Brandon Altomonte: Rangers in 5
Shawn Wilken: Rangers in 5
Ben Kerr: Rangers in 5
Dave Gove: Rangers in 5
Charlie Clarke: Rangers in 5
Cristiano Simonetta: Rangers in 5
Markus Meyer: Rangers in 4
Griffin Schroeder: Rangers in 5
David Stevenson: Rangers in 5
Ken Hill: Rangers in 6
Tyler Shea: Penguins in 7
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