The Pittsburgh Penguins will move on if they execute three things.
It all comes down to this for the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they gear up for Game 7 of their first-round matchup against the New York Rangers.
A series in which the Penguins once held a commanding 3-1 lead has shifted drastically in favor of the Rangers, despite the Penguins jumping out to a 2-0 lead in both Games 5 and 6.
Historically, the Penguins are 6-0 in road Game 7's, the latest being a 2-0 victory against the Washington Capitals in 2017. Here are the keys to victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 as they look to improve upon that record.
1. Stay Out of the Penalty Box
Special teams have been the biggest advantage for the New York Rangers in this series, especially the power play. A lethal unit in the regular season, the Rangers finished 4th in the NHL on the man advantage and have continued that torrid pace throughout this series. The Rangers are currently 5 for 15 (33.3%) on the power play in this series and went 2 for 3 in Game 6 to help bolster them to the pivotal victory that evened this series up.
Uncertainty, surrounding the health of Penguins penalty killer Brian Boyle makes staying out of the box even more important. The officiating in this series has been unpredictable, but the Penguins need to do their best to stay out of the box if they want the best chance of advancing to the next round.
2. Establish and Maintain an Aggressive Forecheck
An aggressive forecheck has been a pillar of Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan's system since he took over the job in 2015.
The Penguins have shown multiple times in this series that they are more than capable of playing suffocating defense, starting with the forecheck. They need to establish that aggressive off-puck defense early in this game and maintain it throughout the contest.
We have seen glimpses of this in the previous two matchups of this series. In both instances, the Penguins backed off in the second period, opening the gates for the Rangers to establish their breakout and put the Penguins in bad situations.
In this series, the Penguins forecheck has caused problems for the young Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and Ke'Andre Miller, who have attempted to force stretch passes that inevitably get picked off by the Penguins.
Even when they manage to get the puck passed the first-level of defense, the forward is forced to dump the puck into the Penguins zone because of how quickly the Penguins can collapse in the neutral zone. This tactic is two-fold as it takes away the Rangers ability to get chances off of the rush, which will take the life out of the Madison Square Garden crowd.
The Penguins need to commit to the forecheck in Game 7 to give themselves the advantage.
3. Protect the Crease
The Penguins goaltending situation has been a major part of this series up to this point and it will be no different for Game 7.
Reports say that Tristan Jarry is expected to make his 2022 playoff debut after missing the previous four weeks due to a broken bone in his foot.
In his absence, Louis Domingue has attempted to hold down the fort but has recently started to crack, culminating in an unfortunate goal that cost the Penguins Game 6.
Domingue's success can be attributed to the job done by the Penguins defense to keep the front of the net clear, minimizing the amount of screened shots and rebound opportunities for the Rangers.
Expect the Penguins to emphasize this type of play again in Game 7 as they will look to allow Jarry the same luxuries they gave Domingue. Jarry hasn't played in over a month, making it especially important early on in this game to allow him to make a few saves un-impeded to get back into form.
On the other side, the Ranger will probably try and crash the net more in this game to rattle the recently untested Jarry. The battle at the Penguins net-front could determine the outcome of this game.
Bonus: Win the Second Period
The second period has been vital in every single game in this series. Most recently, the Rangers domination in the middle frame has brought them back from the brink of elimination to put them in control of the game before the final 20 minutes.
Heading into Game 7, 26 of the 50 goals scored in this series have come from the middle period. Expect both coaches to echo that sentiment during the first intermission, and realize that whoever wins the second period may walk away with a Game 7 victory.
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