New York Rangers vs.  Pittsburgh Penguins

Madison Square Garden

7:00 p.m. Monday

Rangers Record: 14-10-1 

Penguins Record: 15-8-2

On Monday, Nov. 29th, the Rangers take on the Pitts burgh Penguins for their first home game after a three-game road trip. The Rangers, 4-1 in their last 5 games, look to continue their hot streak against the equally successful Penguins, who have not lost a game since the Rangers beat them in overtime on Nov. 15th.

The most recent game proved to be the end of a six-game point streak for Rangers rookie Derek Stepan. Stepan, however, was heavily involved through the whole game, and his recent play earned him a chance in the shootout against Nashville on Saturday night. 

Erik Christensen, too, earned a shootout spot with his strong play. Christensen’s shootout goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, capped what has been a continuous increase in both his role on the team and the amount of confidence from his coach. Christensen’s recent fiery play has garnered praise from coach John Tortorella, who backed up his choice of shooters with the claim that Christensen “played well all night.”

Sidney Crosby, Penguins’ captain, continued his record-breaking career by netting his 200th career goal on Saturday afternoon in Calgary. Crosby reached the milestone in style, scoring the 200th on the second goal of his hat trick. The hat trick served to extend his point streak to 12 games, a current NHL high. 

New York continues to deal with injuries to captain Chris Drury and forward Vinny Prospal. Defenseman Michal Roszival played on Saturday in his first game since missing nine games with an injury. Marian Gaborik missed Saturday’s game with the flu, but should be good to go against the Penguins.

The Penguins remain without key forward Jordan Staal, who has missed the entire season so far with a broken hand.

This will be the second meeting between the Rangers and the Penguins, following the Rangers’ dramatic shootout win on Nov. 15th. With both teams coming off of exciting wins on Saturday, and with Pittsburgh in line to claim first place in the Atlantic Division with a win, Monday night’s match-up is sure to be a thriller!