Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the Pittsburgh Penguins (43-27-12, 98 points) and New York Rangers (53-22-7, 113 points) face-off for Game 1 of their Round 1 best-of-seven series live from Madison Square Garden as part of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Pittsburgh enters as the final wild-card team in the Eastern Conference and had to wait until Game 82 to clinch their berth to the postseason. New York, meanwhile, won the Presidents' Trophy for the first time since 1993-94 as the NHL's top team and set franchise records with their 53 wins and 113 points.
This is a rematch of last year's semifinal series, which saw the Penguins jump out to a 3-1 series lead only for the Rangers to roar back with three straight wins and eventually make a run to the Stanley Cup Final.
New York topped Pittsburgh in the head-to-head series this season, going 3-0-1 in the four meetings.
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The Penguins aren't used to backing in the playoffs, but they're hopeful for a lengthy spring.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby is once again in the Hart Trophy conversation. Crosby finished third in the NHL in points (84) and assists (56, tied) while providing a 1-2 punch with Evgeni Malkin.
Pittsburgh is banged up defensively and is without its best puck-mover in Kris Letang (concussion).
The Rangers enjoyed their best season in franchise history and will try to live up to the pressure the playoffs bring.
Rick Nash finished the regular season with a career-best 42 goals, which ranked him third in the NHL and New York boasts a lot of speed, especially in forwards Kevin Hayes Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider.
In net, the Blueshirts turn to Henrik Lundqvist, who missed time with a vascular injury, but still managed to put up 30 wins for the ninth time in his career. Lundqvist went 30-13-3 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage this season.
The Penguins counter with Marc-Andre Fleury in the crease and he has battled inconsistencies in the playoffs throughout his career, owning a .905 save percentage.
Fleury finished the season with a 34-20-9 record to go along with a 2.32 GAA and a .920 save percentage while pacing the NHL with 10 shutouts.
Familiar foes go head-to-head when the Penguins and Rangers take the ice in their Round 1, Game 1 matchup live from Madison Square Garden as part of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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