Preview of tonights battle!!!

The NYR make their way to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins tonight in an Atlantic division battle. The Pens are coming off a bad loss at the hands of the Sabres (6-2) and the NYR are riding into town off an OT win over the CBJ (3-2). Here are some key stats for three key players for each team:

Pittsburgh:
Malkin- 12 Points in last 9 games, but he has slowed a bit as of late with only 2 points in his last 3 games. He and James Neal have come together quite well since Sid went down so watch out for that line.

Stall-(Jordan)- 6 points in the last five games since returning from an injury in which Mike Rupp was the culprit. He is riding a three game goal scoring streak.

Fleury- After a dismal performance against Buffalo where he gave up 3 goals on 12 shots and was pulled after 37 minutes, One has to assume he will be back in Net more focused then before. MAF has not been on his game as of late surrendering 16 goals in his last 5 starts including the Buffalo game. The

New York Rangers:
Brad Richards- 1 Point in the last 3 games, but 5 in the last five games. He has found his skating legs again and has looked much better in the past 10 days then he did in the previous 8 or so games. His confidence is high and he has to continue to create opportunities for Cally and Hags.

Gabby- 2 Points in the last 3 games and 6 in the last 5 games. The GAS line is back to the level of play it had in the middle of the campaign and needs to continue that hot streak. He needs to keep skating hard, get around defenders more and use his hands to make plays...

The King- Has won Four Starts in a row and 8 of 9 going back to January 21st. He has only surrendered 11 goals in those 9 games..

Keys to Tonight's Game for a NYR Win:

- Need to physically set the tone of the game early. We don't necessarily need a fight, but rather some good hard neutral zone checks to make them aware we came to play.
- DO NOT let Geno get the puck in the neutral zone and get his skates churning. Step up on him and force a pass and DO NOT let him past center ice with the puck.
- Stay out of the Penalty box- Pittsburgh converts nearly 20% of all PP so its crucial to not take stupid penalties.
- The GAS and BR lines must continue to gel and creating chances. Get pucks at the net, good hard low shots to create rebounds...

Here is to two more points tonight by our NYR....