PIT Penguins at NY Rangers (May 01, 2008)
2008-05-01 06:39:00
PA SPORTSTICKER NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW
(PITTSBURGH-NY RANGERS)
*Penguins poised to reach conference finals*
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Pittsburgh at NY Rangers 7:00 pm EDT
Eastern Conference semifinals Penguins lead, 3-0
NEW YORK (Ticker) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have been
unstoppable.
The second-seeded Penguins try to close out the seventh-seeded
New York Rangers when the teams meet for Game Four of the
Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday.
Hart Trophy finalist Evgeni Malkin scored a pair of power play
goals, including one that snapped a tie late in the second
period, as Pittsburgh took a commanding three-games-to-none lead
over the Rangers with a 5-3 triumph in Game Three on Tuesday.
Malkin added an assist, Marian Hossa scored a goal and set up
another and Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves for the Penguins,
who became the first team since the 1994 Rangers to win their
first seven games of a postseason.
"When you get to the playoffs, it's tough," Pittsburgh coach
Michel Therrien said. "We're not thinking about winning the
first seven games. We're taking it game to game."
"We are in a great position," said Hossa, a trade-deadline
acquisition from Atlanta. "Nobody would think we would be in this
position after three games, but right now, we are greedy. We
want to win another one."
The Rangers outshot the Penguins, 39-17, but had no answer on
special teams as Pittsburgh went 2-for-3 with a man advantage.
"As much as anything our special teams have to be better," New
York coach Tom Renney said. "As a team what is impressive about
them is that they are bending but not breaking. ... We have
certainly found some things that work for us - as we anticipated
it would. We needed it three games ago."
Only two teams have overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in
the Stanley Cup playoffs - the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who
accomplished the feat against Detroit in the Finals, and the
1975 New York Islanders in the quarterfinals - against the
Penguins.
Renney said the biggest key for his team in Game Four is to stay
calm.
"We cannot panic," he said. "We can't allow Pittsburgh to come
into our building and think they have (the series) wrapped up."
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