Day: May 2, 2022

Experience, depth, defense, goaltending, physical play…there’s a lot of things that pundits attribute success in the playoffs to.  The Stanley Cup can be won in as few as 16 games, or as many as 28.  It’s a grind, a war of attrition to see who will have the opportunity to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end of it.

For many of the Rangers, it’ll be a new experience.  The Game 1 line-up projects to have as many as four newcomers, as well as backup netminder Alexandar Georgiev.  It’ll also feature a further six, who will see their first seven game series, and first playoff experience in front of a crowd.  Eighteen of the twenty players expected to be dressed for Tuesday’s match-up witth the Penguins, will be wearing the Rangers uniform at MSG in a playoff game for the first time.

Already without starting netminder Tristan Jarry, who suffered a bone fracture in his foot in mid-April, the Penguins will head into tonight’s Game 2 without their second choice.  Casey DeSmith left the second OT against the Rangers in Game 1, and appears to be out for at least the rest of the first round with an undisclosed lower body injury.  DeSmith is listed day to day by the team, but is expected to play no further part in this series.

That means Louis Domingue, who came in as backup on Tuesday to secure the win in the third OT period, will get his first career playoff start.  In other news, Jarry got his boot removed, and could potentially play a part later in the series, though he is yet to return to skating.