Rangers' Keys to Winning 2022 NHL Playoff Series vs. Penguins

The New York Rangers will meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016 when they meet on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, and they will be looking to make a deep postseason run for the first time since 2015. 

New York finished the regular season second in the Metropolitan Division with a 52-24-6 record thanks to some impressive offensive performances from Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. They also won the season series against Pittsburgh 3-1-0.

Aside from those three, the Rangers boast one of the most exciting young rosters in the NHL with reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere and potential Vezina Trophy nominee Igor Shesterkin. 

New York's young guns will have a significant impact against a Penguins team full of veterans in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, but let's take a closer look at some keys to the Rangers winning this first-round matchup.

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5-on-5 Offense

If the Rangers are going to reach the second round, their 5-on-5 offense needs to be better against the Penguins. 

During the regular season, New York leaned heavily on its power play. The Rangers finished with the fourth-best power play in the NHL at 25.4 percent, and Kreider led the league with 26 power-play goals, while Zibanejad tied for 10th with 15. 

In 5-on-5 action, the Blueshirts struggled to generate on offense consistently. They finished the regular season ranked 25th in corsi for percentage, which is used to evaluate a team's puck possession, at 47.03 percent, per Natural Stat Trick. They also finished 24th in expected goals for percentage at 47.04 percent. 

New York won't be able to rely on its power play as heavily against the Penguins, who finished the regular season with the NHL's third-best penalty kill at 84.4 percent. And, despite beating the Penguins three times during the regular season, Pittsburgh's penalty kill was effective against New York at 83.3 percent. 

Play at 5-on-5 is going to be a significant factor in this series, and it will either be the reason the Rangers move on, or the reason they start packing for summer vacation.

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Goaltending

The Rangers have been defined by their goaltending throughout the 2021-22 season. Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev have been one of the best tandem's in the league, and the former will potentially be a Vezina Trophy nominee. 

Shesterkin will play a significant role in whether or not the Rangers move on to the second round. Considering the team has struggled in 5-on-5 action, the 26-year-old has often had to stand on his head this year. 

Through 53 games, Shesterkin posted a 36-13-4 record, 2.07 goals-against average and .935 save percentage with six shutouts. His goals-against average and save percentage rank first in the NHL. 

That said, it'll be interesting to see how Shesterkin performs at the NHL's biggest stage. He has appeared in just one playoff game in his three-year career, allowing three goals on 30 shots in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2020 postseason as a rookie.

Shesterkin has come a long way from that point, and the Rangers are confident he'll be ready to go come Game 1. 

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Veteran Leadership

The Penguins enter this matchup with plenty of veteran leadership. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are among the players that helped the franchise win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. 

In addition, Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter, Brian Boyle and Brian Dumoulin have some extensive playoff experience. 

That said, the Rangers will need their veterans to step up in the first round. Artemi Panarin, Zibanejad, Krieder and Ryan Reaves are among the players who have appeared in at least 30 postseason games over their NHL careers. 

Those players will need to guide the younger players such as Fox, Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren and Kaapo Kakko if they want to defeat a team loaded with veterans in the Penguins.