Rangers at Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won eight of nine contests and look to avenge their lone misstep in that sequence when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Penguins were riding high on the strength of a seven-game winning streak before dropping a 5-0 decision to their Metropolitan Division rivals at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Pittsburgh rebounded from that setback three days later as Pascal Dupuis made the most of his promotion to the top line with captain Sidney Crosby by scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over Toronto.
"Given the game we had in New York, I think guys were pretty motivated here," said Crosby, who notched an assist for his league-leading 25th point. "We don't like seeing that happen, especially when it's your work ethic. When that comes into question, I think, guys have a lot of pride." Rick Nash netted his team-leading 12th goal and added two assists in the Rangers' victory over the Penguins and set up a tally in New York's 4-3 shootout loss to Colorado on Thursday. Nash will play in his 800th game Saturday while Henrik Lundqvist will look to repeat the feat of his first meeting with the Penguins, when he turned aside all 33 shots he faced for his franchise-best 53rd career shutout.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (7-6-3): Coach Alain Vigneault labeled his club "a work in progress", noting that several injuries have altered the chemistry during the early season. "I think we are on the right track, and I know our guys are working extremely hard," Vigneault said. Defenseman Dan Boyle registered three shots on goal in his return against the Avalanche after being sidelined with broken hand since the season opener versus St. Louis on Oct. 9.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (11-3-1): After yielding a power-play goal in the game against the Rangers for the first time since Oct. 11, Pittsburgh picked up where it left off by thwarting all six of Toronto's opportunities with the man advantage. "It is all about dedication and blocking shots, hard work and goaltending," Dupuis said of his team's penalty kill. "All these pieces were on point (Friday) and that's why we came out of here with a big win." The Penguins have the NHL's second-ranked penalty kill at 88.7 percent, trailing only Chicago.
OVERTIME
1. After receiving the night off against the Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh G Marc-Andre Fleury will need a much better performance versus the New York after allowing five goals on 35 shots Tuesday.
2. New York rookie RW Kevin Hayes notched an assist in the first meeting and is riding a three-game point streak.
3. Despite losing the first meeting, the Penguins are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games versus the Rangers.