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

The Pittsburgh Penguins will meet the New York Rangers 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'll be looking make it past the first round since the 2017-18 campaign.

Pittsburgh finished the regular season third in the Metropolitan Division with a 46-25-11 record thanks to key performances from veterans Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. However, they lost the season series to New York 1-3-0.

That said, the Penguins face an uphill battle against the Rangers. Regardless, let's take a look at some keys for Pittsburgh to defeat New York in its first-round series.

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Goaltending

Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry had been one of the best in the NHL this season and was a big reason why the team finished third in the Metro. However, he hasn't played since April 14 against the New York Islanders because of a foot injury and is expected to at least miss some of the first round. 

Jarry went 34-18-6 in 58 games with a 2.42 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and six shoutouts. With him on the sidelines, backup netminder Casey DeSmith appears on pace to start Game 1 against the Rangers.

DeSmith went 11-6-5 in 26 games with a 2.79 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and three shutouts. He's more than capable of starting in Jarry's absence. However, he has never appeared in a postseason game, and with the Rangers having one of the best power-play offenses in the NHL, things could get ugly quickly. 

That said, goaltending is going to be a significant factor in whether or not the Penguins reach the second round, and DeSmith will need to be on his game if the team has hopes of moving on.

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Rickard Rakell Getting Comfortable 

The Penguins acquired Rakell at the trade deadline in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, and he's spent much of his time in Pittsburgh playing alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. 

The 28-year-old tallied four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 19 regular-season games with the Penguins. However, he has appeared far from settled in alongside his new teammates, and allowing him to get comfortable could take the Penguins' offense to the next level against the Rangers. 

With players like Crosby, Malkin and Guentzel expected to be given extra attention by New York's defenders, Rakell should be given some extra space to thrive and drive play in the offensive zone. 

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Penalty Kill 

The Penguins had the third-best penalty kill in the NHL during the regular season at 84.4 percent. However, they'll face a Rangers team that boasted the league's fourth-best power play at 25.2 percent. 

With power-play machines like Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin on the opposite side, it'll be important that Pittsburgh's defense avoids taking penalties and, when they do, play lockdown defense while down a man. 

Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson and John Marino are among the defenders that will be tasked with shutting down the Rangers' offense. They should have no problem doing so at 5-on-5, as New York's even-strength offense was mediocre, but the power play was potent.