There may be three games against the New York Rangers this week, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have their sights set on the Montreal Canadiens first.

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins started their week off with an overtime win over the New York Rangers in the type of game that many described having a playoff atmosphere.

To finish out this seven-day stretch of the season, the Penguins and Rangers will meet two more times at Madison Square Garden.

It’s a week that fans of both clubs have had marked on their calendar since the schedule was released.

There is, however, one pit stop the Penguins have to take before departing to New York, and that’s a contest against the Montreal Canadiens.

A battle against the Canadiens likely won’t bring the same fireworks, but it’s important for the Penguins to not lose sight of what’s in front of them.

Everyone in the locker room recognizes that not only can they not get caught up in what’s ahead against the Rangers, but they need to not take the Canadiens lightly.

“Lately we’ve just been looking at the game that night,” Kris Letang said following his overtime winner against the Rangers. “We have to grab every point. Our focus yesterday was the Flyers and we didn’t look ahead of that.”

The Penguins are bringing that same mindset to their duel with the Canadiens and not take into account where other teams sit in the playoff race.

“We’re going to have to focus on Montreal,” Letang said. “Doesn’t matter where teams are in the standings. We need to climb.”

It might be hard to divert the attention from a heated rival like the Rangers to a team closer to picking first overall in the draft like the Canadiens.

Head coach Mike Sullivan preached the importance of remaining focused on the competition at hand.

“I just think it’s important we stay in the moment,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to take each game as it comes.”

The Penguins have reached the playoffs in 16 consecutive seasons and are looking for a 17^th run, but nothing is guaranteed yet.

With 16 games remaining, the Penguins need to put together as many points as possible with the little amount of time they have left.

While stealing points from the Rangers would go a long way to sealing a playoff position, there are still two points available in every other contest.

“Each point is critically important at this time of year,” Sullivan said. “We’re trying to solidify a playoff spot. Regardless of who are opponent is on a given night, these games are important.”

Everyone knew going in that this week was going to be tough for the Penguins; the Rangers are a tough team to play against and are nearing Stanley Cup caliber.

The Penguins will turn their attention back to them when the time is right, for now, they look to snag two points from a team they are yet to beat this season.

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