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New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Players To Watch For

By Kenneth Teape

Mar 13, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) faces off against New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) during the thirdperiod at Madison Square Garden. The Penguins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) faces off against New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) during the thirdperiod at Madison Square Garden. The Penguins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Players To Watch For
Mar 27, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) makes a save against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Henrik Lundqvist

If the Rangers are going to have any chance at winning this series, Lundqvist will have to play as well as he is capable of playing. The Rangers will hope that he can get things going with the bright lights of the postseason, as he ended the regular season on a low note.

Lundqvist didn’t make it through two of the last four games that he started, getting pulled in favor of backup Antti Raanta against the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, giving up six goals on 25 shots. Lundqvist also got pulled from two games in March, against the Penguins and San Jose Sharks.

While he has struggled at times in recent games, he has done everything he could to get the Rangers wins. There is not much he can do when the Rangers are allowing so many more scoring chances than they are manufacturing; they surrendered 307 more scoring chances than they had for themselves. Only three teams were worse, the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators; not coincidentally all three teams missed the postseason.

That is in large part because they do not have Lundqvist between the pipes. He gives the Rangers their best chance to upset the Penguins and they will rely on him to keep them in games as long as they are in the series.

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