NEW YORK — It begins. The 82-game fight for a ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs commences Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Penguins (0-0-0) visit the New York Rangers (0-0-0) at Madison Square Garden.
The puck drop is a dreaded 8 p.m. start on national TV.
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The game will be a matchup of coaches facing their former team. New York coach Mike Sullivan coached the Penguins for nearly a decade before rebuilding concerns and a fading performance cost him his job. New Penguins coach Dan Muse spent the last two seasons as a New York assistant under departed coach Peter Laviolette.
Sullivan, 57, coached 753 games with the Penguins, amassing a record of 409-255-89, and two Stanley Cup championships (2016, 2017).
Muse, 43, is making his NHL head coaching debut.
The Penguins finished their preseason with a 5-1-1 record, running the table after being winless in the first two games. Rookies made a splash in the games that didn’t count, and 2025 first-round pick Ben Kindel made the opening night roster. Kindel will make his NHL debut Tuesday, per Muse.
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2024 second-round pick Harrison Brunicke will also make his NHL debut after a standout preseason. The fleet-footed young defenseman will take the third pairing right side.
The Penguins will also have another rookie, Ville Koivunen, playing beside Sidney Crosby on the Penguins’ top line. Koivunen has seven career NHL points in eight games, but is still hoping to score his first goal.
Referees waived off his lone goal last season after they ruled he had knocked the puck over the line with his hand.
The Rangers are getting used to Sullivan, who is preaching a familiar refrain–“Be hard to play against.”
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Our colleague Jim Cerny hit the highs and lows with predictions of the coming Rangers season.
J.T. Miller is the new Rangers captain, but the team will go only as far as goalie Igor Shesterkin takes them.
Expected Penguins Lines
Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Ville Koivunen
Anthony Mantha-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak-Ben Kindel-Rutger McGroarty
Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari
Defense
Ryan Shea-Kris Letang
Parker Wortherspoon-Erik Karlsson
Caleb Jones-Harrison Brunicke
Goalie: Tristan Jarry
Expected Rangers Lines
Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafrenier
Will Cuylle — J.T. Miller — Mika Zibanejad
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Conor Sheary — Noah Laba– Taylor Raddysh
Adam Edstrom — Sam Carrick — Matt Rempe
Defense
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Carson Soucy — Will Borgen
Urho Vaakanainen — Braden Schneider
Goalie: Igor Shesterkin
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers, Game 1.
How to Watch
TV: ESPN
Radio: 105.9 the X
The post Penguins Game 1, Sullivan & NY Rangers: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
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