Let's just say the last meeting between these two wasn't exactly a display of red lights, streamers and raining hats. In a 1-0 win over the Rangers, the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury was considered as a goalie in the process of heating up. He'd soon follow this game with a five goal forfeit against the Leafs. Needless to say, a lot has changed since the last Rangers/Penguins contest that went down roughly two weeks ago.
Fleury has been benched, or so it seems, in favor of Dany Sabourin. The Penguins managed to muster up another shutout with him in net, but haven't exactly improved in the way a goalie change would hope to help a team.
Lundqvist on the other hand has seen three shutouts since then, two of which have come in the past week. Although the Rangers' scoring hasn't exactly increase ten-fold, their defense has yet to really let them down. It's kinda hard to be the team with both the best goaltending and worst offense. Certainly a tough combination to work with on a nightly basis.
In the last six games the Penguins have gone 2-6, with both wins coming on the road. Perhaps tonight in NYC, the Pens can improve by one more win and hopefully take another one down on the road.
In a league now dominated by speed, agility and intense puck movement, one would almost think a player like Jagr to be out of his element. There's no denying this former Penguin played phenomenally when paired with Lemieux and Francis/Stevens, but since his departure from Steeltown the effort has been anything but average. Maybe it was his moved to one of the most overly critical cities in the world that did it. Or, maybe he really is past his prime. Trade material? Possibly. But who'd really benefit from having him? It's upsetting sometimes to see former 'amazing' players fizzle out in otherwise disappointing ways. Gretzky, Hull and Federov come to mind.
Eklund, the anonymous online hockey blogger (why he insists on being anonymous still annoys me) had this to say about the Penguins:
The Penguins will be ok. They are really are the essence of a team, meaning they are a single unit. last year that single unit was in its rookie season, caught everone by surprise, and started to hint toward an eventuality. This year that unit is in a sophomore slump, though their record is respectable. They sometimes forget the extra level that is needed at times to win games. When all is said and done they will be downright scary.
Let's see how this game turns out tonight for both teams. It's going to say a lot for the rest of the month.
Puck drop 7ish.
