Rangers vs Pittsburgh: prediction for the NHL game

The Rangers had a decent performance in the regular season and finished in 4th place in the Eastern Conference table with a total of 110 points. Gerard Gallant made an impressive progress with his team, and under his leadership, the Rangers became more reliable on defense.

After three losses in a row, New York celebrated success over Washington (3:2) in the last game of the regular season. Top scorer Artemi Panarin has recovered from his injury and is back in the ranks. He should play an important role in the Rangers' playoffs campaign. 

Pittsburgh had a rough season, but they managed to finish in 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division standings. The Penguins don't have a strong defensive line and fully rely on their attacking actions. The main goaltender Tristan Jarry got injured a couple of weeks ago, and Casey DeSmith will start for the Pens today. 

This is a good chance for DeSmith to prove himself but potentially a problem for the Pens, who have conceded a lot since Jarry's injury. In the last three games of the regular season, Pittsburgh lost to Philadelphia (1:4) and Edmonton (1:5), but defeated Columbus (5:3).