Christian Post Report – New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) celebrates defeating the Washington Capitals with team mates Anton Stralman (6) and Derek Stepan (21) during Game 7 of their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff hockey game in Washington May 13, 2013.
The New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins begin their playoff battle at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference matchup. The game will be played on April 16, 2015 at 7 p.m. ET.
New York finished the regular season with the best record in the league with 113 points with 53 wins out of 82 games. With the season winding down, they won six of their last seven to help them get enough momentum heading into the post season. And with them finishing the top of the Metropolitan Division, they’re set to face fourth-seeded rivals the Penguins.
Pittsburgh secured their playoff spot by beating out the Boston Bruins, who finished only two points behind them. They were handed the Rangers since they were the second Wild Card team behind the Ottawa Senators.
After failing to win in five straight matches, the Penguins pulled off a big 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the last game of the season to put them two points over the Bruins.
However, it will be an uphill battle as the Rangers won their regular season series this year.
The two teams met four times, with the Rangers setting the pace in the first meeting with a 5-0 win.
In that game, New York dominated early with three goals in the first period from Mats Zuccarello, Martin St. Louis and Kevin Klein. Derick Brassard and Rick Nash scored in the final two periods to complete the route.
In the next game, the Penguins had to scrap for two points in a penalty shootout win. The match ended 3-2 with Brandon Sutter providing the winning penalty shot to get the extra point.
It was another close game when they met at the Garden for the second time as New York won in overtime. After surrendering a two-goal lead, the Rangers made sure they took home two points via Klein’s slap shot in OT.
To complete the series win, the Rangers beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh 5-2 behind big games from Nash and Derek Stepan.
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Source : Christian Post