The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to take on the New York Rangers in what could be the final straw for Tristan Jarry.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins let two points slip out of their hands when the Columbus Blue Jackets roared back from down by two in the final frame. It was a less-than-ideal way to kick off a four-game road trip with the playoffs on the line. The loss extended the Penguins’ road losing streak to nine games.

The road tests won’t get any easier as they travel to take on the New York Rangers. No substantial changes are expected from the Penguins lineup, but they hope they can finally end an awful trend of losing.

Projected Forward Lines

Drew O’Connor – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Drew O’Connor has exceeded expectations this season. Jumping from a bottom-six speedster to a useful piece on the top line, O’Connor’s emergence has been something to see. He carries a three-game goal streak to New York to maintain his breakout season.

Michael Bunting – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell

Michael Bunting left the contest against the Blue Jackets early due to illness but is ready to go against the Rangers. The Penguins’ playoff hopes are slim, but they’ll need Bunting in the lineup every game to have the best chance at making a miracle run.

Reilly Smith – Lars Eller – Valtteri Puustinen

This line appears to have gone silent. They’re getting opportunities, and Valtteri Puustinen led the team in shots on goal against the Blue Jackets, but the results have evaporated.

Jesse Puljujarvi – Sam Poulin – Jeff Carter

The loss to the Blue Jackets showed a discrepancy between the fourth line's ice times. Jesse Puljujarvi and Sam Poulin combined for under 12 minutes of ice time, while Jeff Carter played 14:27. Head coach Mike Sullivan has a reputation among the fan base for not deploying the young players enough, and this is just another example.

Puljujarvi and Poulin deserve more chances than they’ve gotten, but they may have to wait one more off-season for their hard work to pay off.

Projected Defensive Pairs

P.O. Joseph – Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
John Ludvig – Jack St. Ivany

No changes are expected from the Penguins' defensive pairings, but it might be worth keeping an eye on John Ludvig. He’s become one of the team’s biggest physical presences and will not back down from a good fight.

There are plenty of opportunities for physical play against the Rangers. Ludvig should be a noticeable force against the Blue Shirts.

Starting Goalie

Tristan Jarry

This could be one of Tristan Jarry’s final chances to prove he deserves to be the Penguins’ starting goalie moving forward. Alex Nedeljkovic was given the nod in the last four games, while Jarry has been pulled three times in his previous seven starts.

Not to mention, top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist might be right around the corner shooting for an NHL role next season.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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