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GDT: Pens vs Rangers 1530hrs EST start

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Zirakzigil

Zirakzigil

The Global Hangman wishes he could be
Jul 5, 2010
32,014
29,523
Canada
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Who:
New York Rangers
(27-25-4, 58 points, 5th place Metropolitan Division)

@

Pittsburgh Penguins (23-26-9, 55 points, 8th place Metropolitan Division)

When:
3:30 p.m. ET

How to Watch:
National broadcast on TNT, streaming on Max

Pens’ Path Ahead:
Pittsburgh started a stretch yesterday that will see them play seven times in just 11 days, so it’s going to be hectic. The hits keep on coming next week with a trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday, followed by a return match against the Flyers in Pittsburgh on Thursday, followed by another pair of afternoon home games next weekend when the Bruins (Sat, Mar 1, 3pm) and Maple Leafs (Sun Mar 2, 1pm) visit the Burgh.

Opponent Track:
The Rangers were in action yesterday up in Buffalo with a 5:30pm start, and hoo boy it went as poorly for them as it did for the Pens yesterday. NYR was down 5-0 in the blink of an eye on their way to a listless 8-2 loss. Add in the travel and another game 22 hours later is a tight turnaround and it’s a tough hill to climb for them entering today. NYR gets back at it on Tuesday on the road again, but this time just across the boroughs in Long Island.

Season Series:
The Pens won 3-2 against NYR a couple weeks ago on Feb 7th, despite not having Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in the lineup. But the Rangers took the victories in the first two meetings (the 6-0 drubbing on opening night and then a 4-2 win in December). Today is the final PIT/NYR game of the 2024-25 season.

Hidden Stat:
esterday was only the third time in Mike Sullivan’s 729 games behind the bench for the Penguins that the team has given up 8 goals or more (joining a 8-4 April 2021 loss to the Rangers and a 10-1 October 2017 loss to Chicago). Pittsburgh has scored 8+ under Sullivan in nine games, most recently in a December 2024 9-2 win over Montreal.

Hidden Stat II:
The Rangers also gave up 8 goals yesterday for the first time this season in a 8-2 loss to Buffalo.


www.pensburgh.com

Game Preview: NY Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins 2/23/2025

The Pens are back to work and will see the Rangers today
www.pensburgh.com www.pensburgh.com
Click to read more...
 
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NYR needs to continue to lose. The worst-case scenario is that they right the ship this season. The more they lose, the better the chances are that they either stay in the bottom 13 or just slightly above it. That is what we want. If they miss the playoffs and land in the bottom 14-15, that's fine. But I want that unprotected first. I want to force them to do desperate things in the off-season.

So every NYR loss is good for us, even if it is us that is beating them.
 
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Jag68Sid87 said:
NYR needs to continue to lose. The worst-case scenario is that they right the ship this season. The more they lose, the better the chances are that they either stay in the bottom 13 or just slightly above it. That is what we want. If they miss the playoffs and land in the bottom 14-15, that's fine. But I want that unprotected first. I want to force them to do desperate things in the off-season.

So every NYR loss is good for us, even if it is us that is beating them.
Click to expand...
Tough one…I think we do better by losing ourselves lol…we need to get a top four pick…

Either way, this game should be fun with both teams coming off a blow out loss…wouldn’t put it past the Pens to win this one…let’s hope Quick stands on his head
 
Ugene Magic said:
Let's hope the Breadman gives the Pens a deathblow....

Must give NYR's points, there's no better point that 1st is going to be at its most valuable.

Click to expand...
The Rangers goal scoring is just as abysmal as ours, unreal.
Panarin- 23, Kreider- 17, Trocheck- 17 are their top 3 scorers.
 
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Big Friggin Dummy said:
They're not rebuilding though. Until this team grows the spine required to trade Rakell at the deadline, then Rust and EK this summer, they're not rebuilding imo. They're flirting with this retool on the fly bullshit that isn't feasible for a team in their position.
Click to expand...
Retool is the key word here. Rebuild is to build again after destruction. 87, 71 and 58 aren't going anywhere. So there's no "destruction".
 
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Ulf5 said:
Retool is the key word here. Rebuild is to build again after destruction. 87, 71 and 58 aren't going anywhere. So there's no "destruction".
Click to expand...
I don't even know that they've committed to trying to retool on the fly either. :laugh: They're still just sitting in this no man's land where they're existing, petrified into inaction.

And this team can absolutely rebuild with Sid, Geno and Letang around. The former is barely hanging on to a PPG pace and the latter two are varying degrees of f***ing cooked. :laugh:
 
You know, if Sully keeps playing Malkin-Glass-Bunting despite that line having scored a grand total of 1 (one) goal, I will start thinking that he might just be tanking on purpose after all.

In other news, Yohe thinks Wilson might be in Canada's roster for the Olympics. :D

The Rangers game? Win - good. Loss - also good. Me not watching - best.
 
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Yeah I’m renewing my Max subscription just for this. I’ll go ahead and spend my Sunday doing something else.
 
Icarium said:
You know, if Sully keeps playing Malkin-Glass-Bunting despite that line having scored a grand total of 1 (one) goal, I will start thinking that he might just be tanking on purpose after all.
Click to expand...

Willingly having Matt Nieto in the lineup = tanking

Willingly having POJ in the lineup at all = tanking

Willingly having POJ on the "TOP" pairing and playing him 20 minutes a night = tanking raised to the power of infinity.

But.... tanking on purpose?

Nah.

Coach Mike Galaxy Brain Sullivan probably thinks he is making some absolutely wonderful personnel decisions in the above cases, to go right along with his other wonderful personnel decisions like putting one 1st line and three 4th lines on the ice every game. Those who want to assign most of the blame for this roster to Dubas or to the corpse of Ron Hextall need to remember that Mike Sullivan has a huge say regarding the type of players (or perhaps even the actual specific players) who are signed, traded for, or drafted. Matt Nieto isn't here *against* Sully's wishes. Nor are several other scrubs who litter this atrocious roster.

But as long as thoughtful intelligent analysts like P.K. Subban (ROFL) continue to disregard that fact and give Sullivan a get-out-of-jail-free card, then he will retain his exalted status -- if he loses then it's because of poor roster composition (i.e., it's the GM's fault); if he wins then he's a genius for getting so much out of a terrible roster: win-win.

We may be tanking, and we very well should be at this point. But Mike Sullivan isn't doing so on purpose. He's too "smart" for that.
 
Big Friggin Dummy said:
They're not rebuilding though. Until this team grows the spine required to trade Rakell at the deadline, then Rust and EK this summer, they're not rebuilding imo. They're flirting with this retool on the fly bullshit that isn't feasible for a team in their position.
Click to expand...

They started with Petts and Jake but those were easy because they were UFA's. But you are right that until they start moving players with term and more unexpected players than its just BS.

Rust isn't going anywhere so give up on that. He is a Sully and Sid favorite. But Rakell, EK, Bunting and Ned all can go.
 
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