Rangers v. Penguins Game 5: What you need to know

eric-gerster-ny-rangersAs you all know I am a huge New York Rangers hockey fan. As you also know the Rangers are in the quest for the Cup. Right now The New York Rangers are currently in contest against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The series sits at New York with 3 wins and the Penguins with 1. The next game is scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) night in New York and is sure to be a thriller. The Rangers have a solid and based on the previous 4 games, an easy game ahead on their home ice. How has this series worked so far you might ask? There has been some key successes for the Rangers and some shortcomings from the Penguins that have lead to the 3-1 game lead.

  1. Overall the Penguins have been moving slow. They have allowed the Rangers to control the entire tempo of the game and force their wins regardless of location. This past Wednesday was about the only time this entire series that the Penguins appeared to have their skates laced up correctly and could actually give some kind of competition. This sudden burst of energy however won’t be enough for the struggling Penguins because the odds are fairly stacked in favor of the Rangers. It would seem their ability to compete has come too little too late.
  2. Given that the series has been close in terms of goals, I would say that the Rangers have controlled a fair amount of the ice time. Each game has been decided by one goal and each team has capitalized on the other mistakes or opportunities that arise due to each team preparation.
  3. The Penguins don’t have what it takes. All of the Penguins players have done their best but simply haven’t put pucks in goal. At the end of the day the Rangers players are just better and can take advantage of various scenarios. They have the talent and the drive and after coming so close to the Stanley Cup last year, they’re hungry for redemption.

Again, the next game will be played in New York, NY, at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night at 6:00PM EST. If you can’t make it to the game, it will be streamed live on NBC Sports Network. Thanks for visiting my website and reading through the blog. Be sure to check back again soon for more updates and information

-Eric Gerster