Rangers Need To Be Ready For Pens Tonight

After getting crushed last night the Rangers need to do something quick to regain their style of Hockey.

This picture belongs to ESPN.com

Like I have said before this is a team that could look like a million bucks one game then get destroyed the next.

It was a very rare horrible performance out of their goalie #30 Henrik Lundqvist who's record on the season doesn't show how much he has carried the team.

After the 4th goal Head Coach John Tortorella made an excellent decision to yank Henrik early, I feel like he would have gotten it together at a curtain point but tonight is the game you really want to win.

With back to back games against the top team in their division it is crucial to get an edge on them.

The first thing they need to do is establish the hitting game you don't want #87 Sidney Crosby and #71 Evgeni Malkin feeling too comfortable on the ice.

You want them to play nervous out there force them to make bad passes and get in their shooting lanes as much as possible.

S. Crosby is great at setting up nice passes in the offensive zone with him you want to stop him before he gets that puck down low.

Many people talk about Sidney's scoring ability, but what I have noticed since his debut is he seems to always pick up the open man in the slot, and he despite how much he complains he is very tough.

Sidney might jaw with the referees for every call but is not afraid to throw some big hits on the opposing team.

Evgeni Malkin makes it look easy when he is putting a shot on everything he does on the ice looks so smooth.

E. Malkin has tremendous instincts for picking up the rebound, and crashing the net something that has to be expected when the two teams meet each other for another test.

These are the games that you really want if you are the New York Rangers especially after a game like last night a win over the defending Champions would erase that in a heartbeat.

Expect to see New York's Henrik Lundqvist come into tonight looking like a hall of famer.

What makes Henrik so good is his ability to shake off a bad game, almost 9 out of every 10 times he is able to dominate after a bad game.

The tough thing about tonight is he will have to go against one of the top scoring teams in the National Hockey League.

#16 Sean Avery needs to be an agitator out there he needs to be a nuisance to Pittsburgh's net minder #29 Marc Andre Fleury the entire game.

Get Sean down low and pound away shots he'll find a way to get it the net.

I noticed too many times I watch a star like #10 Marian Gaborik dance around the net looking for a pass just get him in the slot.

Leave Marian in front of the net get the puck to him and watch him do the rest.

M. Gaborik has a game very similar to E. Malkin they both seem to find the puck down low a majority of the time.

I remember two seasons ago when the Penguins eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs Evgeni Malkin was killing them in front of the net all series long.

Now on New York's side they counter with Marian who has definitely earned the contract he signed during the off season.

7:30 pm eastern time will be the start of the two game war that will either make or break this Rangers team that has been very inconsistent during their first 25 games of the season.