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The Pittsburgh Penguins had their worst game of the season last game against the New York Islanders, generally looking slow and flat and dropping a 4-1 game.
So now they hit the road and go back to Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Rangers, where the Pens had perhaps their finest win of the season 11 days ago. They took a 3-1 lead after the first period, scored a 4th in the second (chasing Henrik Lundqvist in the process) and then coasted to a 6-3 victory. That spoiled NYR's home opener, as the boo-birds came out
Since then, the two teams have gone in opposite directions, the Penguins are 1-3-0 since then and the Rangers are 3-1-0.
The two teams won't see each other again until March 16th, when the season will be half-way over, and for two teams expected to fight for the top spot in the Atlantic Division (and Eastern Conference) it will be an important game.
The Rangers will be without their captain Ryan Callahan, who hurt his shoulder last game in a fight against ex-Penguin Max Talbot. They actually dodged a bullet when it looked like Callahan was in a lot of pain and could have suffered a major injury, but tests revealed it should be just a 10-14 day injury.
Keep it here on Pensburgh for the updated lines, injury news, morning skate reports, and a chat with 3 questions answered from our local NYR blog Blueshirt Banter!