Having gotten done last week (feels longer) with the rival Devils in five, the Rangers finally start up Round Two with another old familiar foe tonight when they visit the second seeded Penguins. The Pens had no trouble with what essentially was a first round bye sweeping the battered Senators back to the golf course. Believe it or not, it will be a 10 day layoff for the Atlantic Patrick Division champs before they hit the ice at Mellon Arena in Game One at 7 PM on Versus.

Why the two more rested teams couldn’t begin this anticipated series Thursday night probably had something to do with arena schedules. Who knows what’s going in Pittsburgh but Madison Square Garden is always busy which might explain a potentially crucial back-to-back for Games Five and Six spanning two different cities.

Stars In Limelight: For league headquarters here in NYC, this is a network’s paradise featuring forced NHL face Sidney Crosby pitted against former Penguin/booing target superstar Jaromir Jagr. Having the new kid on the block against the older Czech who teamed with part-time owner Mario Lemieux to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992 is great theater. No wonder NBC got Games Two and Five, helping force the weird sched which could be an advantage for the younger Pens.

The Pens not only possess Crosby in their arsenal but Russian star Evgeni Malkin. The 2006-07 Calder winner was brilliant when No.87 went down with an ankle injury, totaling 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 28 games to lead Pittsburgh to their first division title in a decade since winning the Northeast (1997-98). The 21 year-old Hart contender finished second to countryman Alex Ovechkin with 106 points (47-59-106). He’ll work with dangerous linemates Petr Sykora and Ryan Malone while Crosby will center star right wing Marian Hossa and either Pascal Dupuis or grizzled vet Gary Roberts.

For the Rangers, Jagr isn’t the only star as he’ll get plenty of help from playmaking pivot Scott Gomez (3-4-7, +5 vs NJ) and the seemingly always clutch Chris Drury (all 3 pts last 2 games incl. series clincher). There’s also old hat Brendan Shanahan, who will be looking to improve on just one goal and three helpers. Not surprisingly, all four veterans have won Cups combining for all eight on the team.

Tale of Two: The series will feature two young No.1 goalies with Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury (4-0, 1.26 GAA, .955 Save Pct., SHO) going up against the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist (4-1, 2.36 GAA, .917 Save Pct.). Most would give the edge to the 26 year-old Swede who for a third straight year is up for the Vezina. However, his 23 year-old counterpart out of Quebec has been playing the best hockey of his career and could be just hot enough to get the Pens through. While Lundqvist performed well enough to defeat the Devils in Round One, he gave up three goals-or-more (10 GA) in the last three games. Against a more potent offense, he’ll need to be his very best in order for the Blueshirts to advance.

Remember Me? While Jagr will be facing his former team, No.68’s not alone as Czech mates Marty Straka and Michal Rozsival will also take on the team they each started their careers with. On the flip side, the Blueshirts could see three familiar faces on the Pittsburgh side as Sykora, Dupuis and Adam Hall all play for the Pens up front with the first two having significant roles.

History On Pitt Side: In postseason history, the Rangers and Penguins have met three prior times. Pittsburgh has won all three series with the most recent coming back in the 1996 Conference Semis when Jagr and Lemieux combined for 19 points in a five-game triumph advancing to the Conference Final before being eliminated by Florida.

Special Battle: If there’s an area the Rangers want to avoid, it’s putting the Pens on the power play. Given who they have, it would be wise for Tom Renney’s club to stay out of the box. Not only do the Pens boast great players up front but blueliners Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are equally capable of lighting the lamp making their PP the Pitts for opposing penalty killers. Entering second round play last night, the Pens ranked third best in the playoffs connecting at a 26.1 clip (6-for-23 vs Ott). During the first round, the Rangers PK got worse guilty of too many penalties and permitting five PPGA in 24 chances (79.2 percent) placing ninth.

Surprisingly, the Ranger power play scored just enough converting on 4-of-17 opportunities (23.5 percent). Even weirder was that three of the four PPG came on home ice going 3-for-9 in Round One. They managed only 1-of-8 in Newark. That will need to pick up as they’ll be against the top rated Pens, who successfully killed 12 of 13 Ottawa power plays.

Odd stat coming from the season series which New York took 5-3 had them outperforming the Pens 9-5 on the man-advantage with the Rangers clicking at 21.4 percent as compared with their division rival’s 14.3. They even got seven more power plays just for any conspiracy theorists out there.

Each club has good penalty killing forwards who can be shorthanded threats. The Rangers’ best is speedy rookie Ryan Callahan. He got their lone SHG which was the first momentum swing last series resulting in a Game One road win getting his team off to a good start. Shanahan, Straka and Gomez also kill penalties and can attack if given opportunities. The Pens have their own dangerous PK threats in Malkin, Malone plus speedy tandem Jordan Staal and Max Talbot. Talbot is especially dangerous tying with Malone for the team lead with two this season. Pen pest Jarkko Ruutu also kills penalties.

Grit Matters: At this time of year, the key battles along the wall can go a long way to determining a winner. In the first round, NHL poster boy Sean Avery was a royal pain and got into the head of Martin Brodeur. Not only was the former beau of Elisha Cuthbert effective but drew plenty of attention for Screen Gate (Rule No.57) while still producing five points (3-2-5) and taking hits to setup goals. The Rangers will need more of the same from Avery along with Callahan and Nigel Dawes to offset the Pens’ own version of Jagr hunter Ruutu, Roberts and enforcer Georges Laraque. Whichever team’s gritty forwards perform the best could provide a hint of who shall be left standing. 

Blueline Special: Much has been covered about the stars up front and the netminders but what about the bluelines? The Pens have three superb skating D in Gonchar, Whitney and Kris Letang who can get involved offensively. They also boast a pair of physical specimen in Brooks Orpik and deadline pickup Hal Gill who each should see a lot of Jagr. That will be a key match-up for Michel Therrien. Rob Scuderi is overlooked.

The Rangers counter with top pair Rozsival and rookie Marc Staal, who was their best D in the first series. The very mature 21 year-old has developed into a solid physical skating defenseman. He could see a few shifts against younger brother Jordan but expect him to go up against Crosby or Malkin. Whoever Renney puts Staal against will determine which star underrated tandem Fedor Tyutin and Dan Girardi will face. They work well together and will take the body to make plays. Out of the pair, Girardi is steadier and capable of offense. His three assists led all Ranger blueliners in Round One. Rozsival also had a goal and helper.

The Ranger third pair of Paul Mara and Christian Backman can be forechecked but didn’t make any glaring mistakes. Each will get more tested. Especially Backman, who needs to find offense in this round to be effective.

Dubi Dubi Doo: Remember those Beware The Penguins Bud Ice commercials a decade prior? Well, the Pens should be very cognizant of Ranger rookie Brandon Dubinsky. The 21 year-old Alaskan centers the Jagr line. Possessing size, speed and strength, he didn’t look fazed in his first NHL series pacing all rookies with six points (3-3-6). He’s a solid all around player who’s excellent in transition and on the cycle. The Blueshirts are depending on him to be a factor taking pressure off the playoff tested center duo of Gomez and Drury.

Coach’s Corner: Both clubs have experienced enough coaches who understand what’s at stake. Renney always seems to have a good grasp of his bench. In the first round, the Ranger coach showed better judgment biting his tongue when a few questionable calls went against his team opting to focus on the task at hand. He also didn’t overuse the fourth line centered by Blair Betts, choosing to go with his best players. That’s a must against the top heavy Pens.

Therrien has been here before with Montreal. So, he has something to draw on if things start out slowly. He’s not afraid to send a message to his team by sending out Laraque to bang bodies. But the Pens will go as far as their best players take them.

Intangibles: If there’s an edge here, it goes to the Rangers who experienced a tough second round defeat last year to Drury’s Sabres with the crucial FA addition from last summer having plenty to do with it. 7.7 seconds? The Pens will be hungry and have enough experienced vets who want to taste the bubbly.

Analysis: A lot could depend on the match-ups. The team who dictates the play will win this series. The Pens are a high flying transition team while the Rangers do most of their best work off the forecheck. Each goalie will get severely tested. Both teams have plenty of offense but it’s awfully hard to go against that 1-2 punch of Crosby and Malkin.

Series Prediction: Pens in 7

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