The New York Rangers (40-27-11) play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins (46-26-7) tonight in the second leg of the home and home series. The Penguins won the first game 3-1 in Pittsburgh yesterday. Historically, the home team has dominated when these two teams face-off, winning 16 of the past 21 contests.

The Rangers, currently sitting in 6th place in the Eastern Conference will be looking to lock down a play-off spot this week and could very well do so with a victory tonight. Only 3 points separate the Rangers from the 9th place Washington Capitals and with 3 games remaining, anything is possible, so the Rangers need a win to ensure a post season birth.

New York has been very solid at home this season, sporting a 23-12-2 record at Madison Square Gardens. Conceding the 2nd fewest goals in the Eastern Conference, defense is the order of the day when it comes to the Rangers. Keeping the puck out of their own net has not been the problem; instead, scoring goals has often been their Achilles heal. The Rangers have scored the 3rd fewest goals in the Eastern Conference, and 6th fewest in the NHL. Interestingly enough, the Rangers have had their way with the Penguins when playing in New York this season, winning all 3 contests and outscoring Pittsburgh 13-4.

The Penguins are currently atop of the Eastern Conference standings, 1 point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. With only 3 games left, Pittsburgh has a realistic chance of winning the East and locking in home ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference play-offs. They have been very good down the stretch and have won 10 of the past 13 games. All three of their 3 loses during this span came on the road, including a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Rangers.

As noted above they did manage a 3-1 victory over the Rangers yesterday, but it was the Rangers’ poor discipline which gave Pittsburgh 8 power-play chances in that game including a 5-3 man-advantage in which the Penguins capitalized. It was in fact the only power-play goal for Pittsbugh which is testimony to the Rangers’ solid defense an penalty kill. However, playing down a man for that much time, disrupts the flow of the offence and limits a team’s ability to score.

The Rangers need just one win to guarantee them a spot in the post season, and I believe tonight’s game is a good time to close this out. The Rangers have dominated the Penguins this season at home and as is the case with most teams, the Penguins have not fared well when it comes to winning home and home series. Pittsburgh is just 2-8 this season when it comes to these situations. I would expect a low scoring, tightly contested affair tonight the sees the Rangers come out on top, sending them into the playoffs.

The Pick :