The Pittsburgh Penguins will see another NHL debut as they take on the New York Rangers.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready for an important mid-afternoon battle against Metropolitan Division rivals, the New York Rangers. Despite a 3-6-1 run, the Penguins are within striking distance of a playoff spot. It may take some help from teams around the East, but the Penguins will need to put their best efforts into every game to fight in the postseason.

The Penguins didn’t run lines at their most recent practice, and the afternoon game meant no morning skate. The official lineup announcement revealed that the only change is a key forward promoted to the first line.

Forward Lines

Drew O'Connor – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

The Penguins are still waiting for their captain, Sidney Crosby, to break out of a 10-game goalless rut. They’ve gotten good use from him in other areas of the ice, but Crosby finding the back of the net again will do great things for those long playoff odds.

Drew O'Connor has also been moved to the first line to play alongside Crosby. O'Connor has been a surprise addition to the Penguins' top six and should help Crosby break his slump.

Michael Bunting – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell

At long last, it appears Evgeni Malkin is breaking out of his own slump. With points in each of the last two games, including a massive tally against the Sharks, Malkin may have his step back. Even if Malkin is still a step slower, a rebirth of confidence will be a huge boost for the Penguins.

Adding Michael Bunting to Malkin's line should help clear space for the veteran forward and hopefully promote more shots on goal. Malkin has been hesitant to shoot the puck lately, but if Bunting can clear space, the shooting lanes will open up.

Reilly Smith – Lars Eller – Valtteri Puustinen

The Penguins believe this can be a steady offensive line down the stretch. It’s been a bad season, but Reilly Smith has an ability to break through. Lars Eller has been steady all year, and Valtteri Puustinen remains due for a breakthrough.

Emil Bemstrom – Noel Acciari – Jeff Carter

With multiple goals from the fourth line against the Sharks, the Penguins finally got some jump out of this group. Scoring from the bottom line isn’t expected to be a regular occurrence, but when key leaders are struggling, it’s important guys like Noel Acciari and Jeff Carter step up.

Defensive Pairings

Marcus Pettersson – Kris Letang
Ryan Graves – Erik Karlsson
John Ludvig – P.O. Joseph

Head coach Mike Sullivan listed the entire third pairing as a game-time decision. The Penguins recently recalled Jack St. Ivany from the AHL, but he will wait just a bit longer for his NHL debut.

John Ludvig's physical presence is sure to be an important piece to the Penguins’ lineup against the Rangers. Sullivan spoke highly of Ludvig’s gritty game, and it makes sense he sticks against a tough Rangers squad.

Starting Goalie

Tristan Jarry

The Penguins are in the opening half of a back-to-back, and Tristan Jarry traditionally does perfectly fine against the Rangers. It’s a huge game for the Penguins, and they’ll need the best possible version of Jarry.

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