New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Bold Predictions for First-Round
By Nick Ziegler
– Rangers’ Power-Play Struggles
Apr 7, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) and New York Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle (93) celebrate McDonagh
The New York Rangers’ offense has been great this season, as they rank third in the NHL in goals per game with 3.0 a game. Despite the great offense, their power-play unit has under-produced so far this season. The Rangers ranked 21st in the NHL in power-play success rate, scoring a goal just 16.8% of the time.
In one of the bigger moves before the NHL Trade Deadline, the Rangers acquired defenseman Keith Yandle to help improve the struggling power-play unit. In 63 games with the Arizona Coyotes this season, Yandle had 26 points on the power-play with two goals and 24 assists. Since joining the Rangers, Yandle hasn’t had nearly the impact they would have hoped for, as he has just three assists on the power-play in 21 games.
Pittsburgh is best-known for their talented offense, but this season one of the best attributes has been their ability to kill power-plays. This season, Pittsburgh ranked third in the NHL at killing penalties with an 84.8% success rate. If the Rangers’ power-play is going to get going, it likely won’t be in their first-round match-up.
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