2022 NHL Playoffs Eastern Conference: (M2) New York Rangers vs. (M3) Pittsburgh Penguins
How to Watch
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | Host | TV |
| 1 | Tuesday, May 3 | 7 p.m. | NYR | ESPN/MSG |
| 2 | Thursday, May 5 | 7 p.m. | NYR | TNT/MSG |
| 3 | Saturday, May 7 | 7 p.m. | PIT | TNT/MSG |
| 4 | Monday, May 9 | 7 p.m. | PIT | ESPN/MSG |
| 5* | Wednesday, May 11 | TBD | NYR | TBD |
| 6* | Friday, May 13 | TBD | PIT | TBD |
| 7* | Sunday, May 15 | TBD | NYR | TBD |
Tale of the Tape
| Rangers | STAT | Penguins |
| 52-24-6 (110 pts) | Record | 46-25-11 (103 pts) |
| 3.05 (16th) | Goals Per Game | 3.28 (11th) |
| 2.49 (2nd) | Goals Allowed Per Game | 2.71 (5th) |
| +47 | Goal Differential | +43 |
| 27-10-4 Home, 25-14-2 Away | Home/Away Record | 23-13-5 Home, 23-12-6 Away |
| 25.2% (4th) | Power Play | 20.2 (19th) |
| 82.3% (7th) | Penalty Kill | 84.4% (3rd) |
Rangers leaders:
- Chris Kreider, LW. – 52 goals, 25 assists, 77 points, 26 PPG, 35 PPP, 11 GWG
- Artemi Panarin, LW. – 22 goals, 74 assists, 96 points, 37 PPP, 5 GWG
- Mika Zibanejad, C. – 29 goals, 52 assists, 81 points, 15 PPG, 28 PPP
Penguins leaders:
- Jake Guentzel, LW. – 40 goals, 44 assists, 84 points, 22 PPP, 7 GWG
- Sidney Crosby, C. – 31 goals, 53 assists, 84 points, 8 PPG, 32 PPP, GWG 9
- Kris Letang, D. – 10 goals, 58 assists, 68 points, 2 OTG
Key Injuries
- Tristan Jarry, PIT (foot): The Penguins goaltender has been out since he suffered the injury on April 14 against the New York Islanders. He is day-to-day according to head coach Mike Sullivan and will not play in Game 1.
- Jason Zucker, PIT (lower body): The Penguins head coach also listed Zucker out for Game 1 and is listed by the team as day-to-day.
Series Odds
- PIT to win: -105
- NYR to win: -115
*Courtesy of FanDuel, for more, click here.
Series Prediction
Rangers win in 6 games (4-2)
- The young New York Rangers are making their first non-bubble playoff appearance in five years against a battle-tested Pittsburgh Penguins team that still carries plenty of firepower with one of hockey’s best players in Sidney Crosby. But the Rangers have gotten the better of the Penguins during their regular-season series going 3-1-0 in four games this year and outscoring Pittsburgh 11-4 in those four meetings combined. New York has not allowed the Penguins to score more than two goals in any of their regular-season matchups with their first-round foe.
- A lot of the Rangers’ regular-season success can be attributed to their man in net, Igor Shesterkin. The Blue Shirts netminder is a heavy favorite to win the Vezina this year and his NHL best goals-against average of 2.07 and a save percentage of .935 speak for themselves heading into the postseason. The Penguins do possess elite talent that can give even the most veteran goalies issues, but Shesterkin has shown he can handle this Pittsburgh team. He was in net for all three Ranger wins over the Penguins this year and owns .914 save percentage against them in eight career games against the Pens.
- While the Rangers are boasting a young lineup, they have several veterans in the mix that are going to lean on to make a big impact. Namely, that will fall on Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. The two have been having career years for the Rangers this season, with Kreider scoring 52 goals this season and Zibanejad putting up 81 points in 81 games.
- The Penguins started the year off strong, but the second half of the year was not kind to the Penguins, who had to deal with injuries and COVID. They enter the series with Tristan Jarry on the sidelines with an injury and expected to miss Game 1 at the least. Casey DeSmith and Louis Domingue started in Jarry’s absence and led the Pens to a 3-2 record down the stretch.
- While the Penguins may not be the world-beaters they once were, they still boast a team with names like Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust. and Jeff Carter. Add to that trade deadline acquisition Rickard Rakell as well. He has 13 points in 18 games while getting time alongside Malkin and Crosby.
