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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
Feb 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi (5) moves the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Dan Girardi

A lot of the Rangers shortcomings are covered up by the outstanding play of Henrik Lundqvist in goal. One of the players the Rangers need to have step up in front of him is defenseman Dan Girardi.

For a number of seasons, Girardi has been a key component to the Rangers’ defense ahead of Lundqvist along with Ryan McDonagh. But, this season has been a struggle at times for Girardi. “I’m trying to stick to my bread and butter over the years: being in the right place and not making mistakes,” Girardi said a couple of weeks ago at Bell Centre to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “You want good puck management, playing the body. It hasn’t been a great year dealing with a lot of different things, but if I can find my game, it’ll be best for me and the team in the playoffs.”

Girardi has never been productive in terms of scoring for the Rangers, such as Keith Yandle, as his career-high for points in a season is only 31. But, he has been a shutdown defender for the Rangers, and is someone they could count on as he rarely misses time because of injury.

The soon to be 32-year old has looked sluggish at times, as he just does not have the ability to keep up with opposing skaters at times. But, he is someone that they will be counting on heavily for their postseason run. If he can find his groove, it would greatly help take some pressure off of Lundqvist, who has enough to deal with a in a red hot Penguins team.

Next: Injured Goaltender

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