Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference First Round Game 5 – April 24, 2015
At least for two nights, the New York Rangers owned Consol Energy Center. The Rangers won Games 3 and 4 at Pittsburgh to bring a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Madison Square Garden. But these Penguins have played some of their best games when the pressure is high. After all, it took Pittsburgh until the last day of the regular season to clinch the playoff spot they’re now hanging onto by a thread.
Can Pittsburgh avoid elimination? Continue reading for everything you need to know heading into this game. The Penguins aren’t the only team finding themselves in a playoff hole. Check out our complete preview for the Senators vs. Canadiens. Montreal leads Ottawa 3-1.
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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 — April 16, 7:00 PM ET, Pittsburgh Penguins 1, New York Rangers 2
Game 2 — April 18, 8:00 PM ET, Pittsburgh Penguins 4, New York Rangers 3
Game 3 — April 20, 7:00 PM ET, New York Rangers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Game 4 — April 22, 7:00 PM ET, New York Rangers 2 (OT), Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Game 5 — April 24, Time 7:00 PM ET, Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers – view all NHL lines
Game 6* — April 26, Time TBD, New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins
Game 7 *— April 28, Time TBD, Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers
*If necessary
Betting on the Pittsburgh Penguins
It was a rather uncharacteristic game for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They scored a first period goal for the first time in this series, which is good. The Pens have been outscored 4-1 in the opening frame after four games thus far. But Pittsburgh also faltered down the stretch, suffering a 2-1 loss in overtime after coming out strong in the dying moments of each of the first three games.
[sc:NHL240 ]Pittsburgh outshot New York 8-2 in a dominant first period. But they were eventually outshot 22-15 the rest of the way. Patrick Hornqvist, who scored Game 4’s go-ahead goal, has now netted both of the Penguins’ goals over the past two games.
Evgeni Malkin, one of the Penguins’ top regular season goalscorers (28), has been held pointless four games deep into the series. He has gone nine straight games without a point and 14 straight without scoring a goal.
Sidney Crosby, the team’s other goals leader, has been shut down in two of the four playoff games. But Crosby was at his best in Game 2 at New York, scoring two goals on just three shots on target.
Brandon Sutter’s and Chris Kunitz’s power play goals handed Pittsburgh a 4-3 Game 2 win on Saturday. Those have been the only two power play goals the Pens have scored in the series thus far. Pittsburgh ranks fourth among the 16 playoff teams in power play percentage (28.6 percent).
Getting on the man advantage is crucial for the Penguins. So expect them to play a more physical play (perhaps bordering on dirty) to draw penalties from the Rangers. But New York has remained fairly disciplined in the postseason, ranking 15th with just six penalties in minutes. Pittsburgh has also been outmuscled thus far in the series, trailing the Rangers 136-124 in hits.
Pittsburgh has lost seven of its last 10 games on the road.
Betting on the New York Rangers
It wasn’t pretty, but the New York Rangers got the job done in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series advantage. Derick Brassard’s tip in goal off a rebound from Rick Nash’s shot evened up the score at 1-1 for the Rangers in the second period. Kevin Hayes then scored the winning goal 3:14 into overtime from a goalmouth scramble started by Martin St. Louis. It was Hayes’ first career postseason point.
The Rangers are averaging just 2.25 goals per game in this series despite being the third-best offense (three goals per game) in the regular season. Despite their low output on offense in this series, the Rangers have been kept in the games through the heroics of netminder Henrik Lundqvist. The former Vezina Trophy winner has a 1.74 GAA in the playoffs thus far (the league average is 2.18) and had a handful of excellent saves in Game 4.
While Nash hasn’t been the prolific scorer New York is accustomed to, he has been quite a playmaker. He has assisted in three of the Rangers’ goals and scored one of his own to lead the team with four points. Brassard has stepped up to lead the team with three goals in the series.
Despite Nash only having one goal in the series, the Rangers have found plenty of ways to score. Ryan McDonagh, Carl Hagelin, Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider each have also scored for New York. Defensemen Dan Girardi and Keith Yandle have been excellent at creating shots for their teammates, combining for five points.
The Rangers have won four of their last five games against Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden.
Writer’s Prediction
The Rangers close off the series with a 2-1 win. Take the total to go under 5.0 for a bonus. Enjoying the Stanley Cup Playoffs thus far? Create a betting account now and make your own playoff moments.
