Pittsburgh Penguins (1-0-0) @ New York Rangers (0-1-0)
NHLN-US, ROOT, MSG, 7:00 pm/et
Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY
A back-to-back game for both teams. The Rangers lost last night in Boston.
Tomas Vokoun makes his Penguins debut tonight in the World's Most Famous Arena. If he plays well, we expect to hear calls for him to be the Pens' number one goaltender immediately. Somehow the spotlight will be on Fleury even though Vokoun is playing. Every save Vokoun makes will be followed by a portion of the fan base saying "Fleury would have let that one in."
Vokoun is here to let Fleury rest and to step in if Fleury hits a slump. A little competition is a good thing but, unless something terrible happens, Fleury is the number one goaltender. But Vokoun playing well is important.
Speaking of number one goaltenders, Henrik Lundqvist could play back-to-back games for the Rangers. He did this yesterday.
Arron Asham might make his Rangers debut tonight after serving a suspension that he earned with the Pens in last season's playoffs. Once he suits up for the Rangers, he'll have played for all five Atlantic Division teams. Prediction: It will take less than 10 minutes for him to do something reckless. We only give him that long because we doubt he'll play too many shifts.
This game could be a war. Or a total mess. We have no idea. Our minds are still in Philadelphia. Hopefully the Pittsburgh Penguins are more prepared.
Otherwise...
A part of us kind of really likes that song.
Season Series: 0-0-0
Last meeting that counted: April 5, 2012. Penguins won 5-2.
The Pens didn't have Neal, and the Rangers didn't have Lundqvist. The Rangers are obviously resting up the King for the playoffs. This game will mean absolutely nothing the next time these two teams meet.
Vitale might be in for Jeffrey.