The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers always make for entertaining matchups. Their latest Friday night tilt was no different, with these two teams trending in opposite directions entering the contest. The Pens arrived without both of their star centers, as both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin navigate injuries. The Rangers, on the hand, came into the game after their biggest win of the season.
Which made this result all the more surprising, as a depleted Penguins lineup took down the Rangers by a score of 3-2. It was a completely unexpected result for the Rangers, as they had just re-established themselves as a contender for the Eastern Conference Wild Card.
What was the most disappointing part of this contest for the Rangers was their play with the lead. They gained the lead two different times, only to allow the Pens to come back both times. Their uninspired effort peaked during the third period, as they allowed two goals in three minutes including the game-winning power play goal to Pittsburgh winger Philip Tomasino.
Penguins winger Rickard Rakell continued to build on his impressive 2024-2025 campaign in this contest as well. The 31-year-old hit the 25-goal mark for the fourth separate time in his NHL career after he made a beautiful play and managed to sneak a shot behind Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. The goal raised his season totals to 25 goals, 22 assists, and 47 points in 55 games and the trade interest in him only grows.
An interesting note for the Penguins is this was a rare glimpse into the future of their organization. This was the first time in several seasons that the Pens had neither Crosby nor Malkin available, and it was also the first time since 2021 that they secured a victory without their pair of future Hall of Famers. As Pittsburgh moves further into their rebuild, life without Crosby and Malkin will become a reality and at least for tonight it worked out well.
