Pittsburgh Penguins Eliminate New York Rangers in Game 5, Advance to Second Round
By Ryan Ritchie
Pittsburgh Penguins Eliminate New York Rangers in Game 5, Advance to Second Round Without Marc-Andre Fleury; Will Play Either Washington/or Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Penguins never gave up in game five after falling 2-1 early to New York. After tightening things up defensively, Penguins new arrivals went to work on Henrik Lundqvist scoring a rare four goals in one period (2nd).
Antti Raanta came in relief for King Henrik in the third, but the damage had already been done as the Pens edged the Rangers in a 6-3 victory at CONSOL Energy Center.
All of Pittsburgh’s goal scorers on Saturday are new additions to the team in 2015-16. Several secondary players such as Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust stepped up, which continues to be a common theme early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The biggest question mark remained between the pipes heading into the postseason, but those concerns were quickly put to rest. Jeff Zatkoff stepped up to begin with after both guys on the depth chart ahead of him (Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray) were unable to play after sustaining injuries late in the regular season.
Fleury remains a question mark, but Murray returned to steal the spotlight from an already hot performer. If you ask scouts or experts in the hockey, this comes as little surprise. Matt is largely praised for his unbelievable poise and maturity. We had him ranked high on the number of prospect lists released since prior to the start of the 2015-16 regular season. He was the AHL’s top goalie in 2014-15 with mind-boggling statistics for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Looking Ahead to Round Two
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
The Pittsburgh Penguins will likely face Washington in the second round (barring some sort of epic collapse to Michael Neuvirth and the Flyers). Obviously, the Pens will need their stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to lead the way offensively.
They’ll also need more of that secondary scoring they received in game five and at numerous occasions throughout the first round. It was one of the main reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins were the hottest team down the final stretch of the regular season as secondary players stepped up in Evgeni Malkin‘s absence.
Quest for the Cup
In the new NHL, not only do you need a solid netminder, but teams need to be built 12 forwards deep to win a Stanley Cup.
The only question mark that remains is on the blueline. As we saw in round one, inexperience and overall lack of talent can sometimes lead to defensive lapses. You can still win a Championship with a mediocre blueline as Carolina showed us in 2006, but it’s a matter of this group putting it together consistently over the next two months.
If the Pittsburgh Penguins can play with that overall consistency they showed for the majority of their opening round series, this team is borderline unbeatable.
Next: Penguins vs. Rangers Round 1 Preview
Just imagine the offseason Pittsburgh would have if they won a Stanley Cup on the shoulders of a Conn Smythe winning Matt Murray (also named to Team North America at the World Cup). Jim Rutherford might be tempted to re-sign pending UFA Jeff Zatkoff and sell high on Murray. You’d have to imagine that Calgary would be willing to offer a lot more this summer opposed to last when their inquiries were quickly dismissed.