NY Rangers (30-18-5) at Pittsburgh (27-18-7)
When: Wednesday, February 10th 2016
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Time: 8:05 ET | TV: NBC Sports
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The red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby will host their Metropolitan Division rival the New York Rangers on Wednesday. The Penguins have won seven of their last nine games behind an offensive explosion led by Crosby, Chris Kunitz, and Kris Letang. Crosby will attempt to extend his career-high goal streak to an impressive eight games on Wednesday after his second four-point performance in the last four games on Monday. Pittsburgh beat up the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 thanks to Crosby’s big game. He has also scored at least one goal in nine straight games at Consol Energy Center. That is the second-longest in franchise history, trailing only Mario Lemieux’s 11-game stretch from January 5th thru February 23rd, 1996. Kunitz had a goal and assist and has seven points in the last four games and is a +12 in his last nine. Letang has eight goals and 16 assists over his last 15 games after a two-point effort on Monday. Pittsburgh will be without star Evgeni Malkin for the fourth-straight contest and has been ruled out for at least the remainder of the week with a lower-body injury.
The Rangers are also playing well, winners of three-straight and six of eight overall. J.T. Miller has provided a big offensive spark with nine goals in his last ten games. They will continue to need him for a while as top-line forward Rick Nash will miss his seventh straight game with a left leg bone bruise. New York’s captain Ryan McDonagh will also miss tonight’s game after suffering a concussion in Sunday’s 3-2 shootout win over Philadelphia when Wayne Simmonds knocked him down and was subsequently kicked out of the game. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist (26-14-4, 2.37 GAA, .921 SV%) is expected to start his ninth straight game and 20th in 21 outings on Wednesday, but is just 9-11-2 with a 2.56 goals-against average on the road this season. He has stopped 53-of-56 shots in the last two games – both wins. The Rangers continue to hold onto the third-seed in the East, 3 points ahead of four teams and 4 points clear of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh has been on fire lately and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is 7-0-1 in his last eight home games. I’ll take Crosby and company tonight. The Rangers injuries are more severe to them than the Penguins.
Pick: Penguins -145
