Fangberichte » at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers los

In order for the New York Rangers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years, the club is going to have to do something its never done before: beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs. James Worthy Lakers Jersey . The Rangers hope to strike first in this fifth postseason meeting between the franchises, as they visit Pittsburgh for Fridays Game 1 battle at CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins are 4-0 all-time in postseason series against the Blueshirts and boast a 16-4 record over those four playoff encounters. The only time New York was able to post more than one win in a series against the Pens was in the 1992 Division Finals, when Pittsburgh downed the Rangers in six games en route to its second straight Stanley Cup title. The most recent playoff encounter was in the 2008 conference semifinals when Pittsburgh ousted the Rangers in five games. New York, which made the conference finals in 2012, is in the second round for the third straight season after beating Philadelphia in seven games in the opening round. Home-ice advantage came in handy for the Blueshirts, as they claimed a 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden in the final test against the Flyers, improving to 6-0 all-time in Game 7s on home ice. In this round, however, the Rangers will have to prove they can win on the road against the Metropolitan Division champion Penguins. "Were battle-tested and ready for the next series," said Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault. "Philly was a real tough opponent, and you have to give them credit, it was a great series, but we know if you look on paper Pittsburgh is probably one of the best teams in the league. They were (13) points ahead of us in the regular season, so were going to have our hands full." The Pens and Rangers split four meetings during the 2013-14 campaign, with both teams recording 2-1-1 records. New York had lost five straight in Pittsburgh before ending that road slide with a 4-3 shootout win on Feb. 7. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday in the Steel City, while New York gets to host the third meeting on Monday. Fatigue could be an issue for the Rangers at the start of this series, as New York will have played five games in a span of seven days through Game 3 of this set. The Pens, on the other hand, had three full days of rest heading into Game 1. Pittsburgh is in the second round after beating Columbus in six games during the conference quarterfinals. The Pens are after a second straight trip to the East finals after getting swept by Boston in the penultimate playoff round last spring. A big topic of conversation in the middle of the first round was Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkins lack of goal-scoring. But, after Malkin turned in a hat trick to help Pittsburgh clinch the series in Game 6, that likely puts an end to the discussion for now. Malkin ended with seven points on three goals and four assists. Crosby failed to score a goal in six games, but with six assists to his credit its difficult to say he was unproductive. Still, Crosby, the odds-on favorite to win this seasons Hart Trophy, hasnt recorded a goal in his last 11 playoff games and if he goes long without scoring one in this series it could become an issue once again. Crosby and Chris Kunitz led Pittsburgh with six points apiece during the season series with New York, with the captain notching a goal and five assists and Kunitz delivering three goals and three helpers. Malkin only played in two of the four meetings and had a goal and an assist. When things go wrong for Pittsburgh, nobody gets criticized more than No. 1 goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Last spring, Fleury was replaced by Tomas Vokoun as the clubs starting goaltender after Game 4 of the opening round against the New York Islanders and did not start another game in the playoffs. Fleury struggled at times during the conference quarterfinals against Columbus, but not enough for head coach Dan Bylsma to make the switch to current backup Jeff Zatkoff. For the most part, Fleury was solid against the Blue Jackets in Round 1. He ended the series with a .908 save percentage and 2.81 goals against average. The 29-year-old is 49-36 with a .903 save percentage and .273 GAA throughout his playoff career. The biggest advantage New York has over the Penguins could be in net, where Rangers backstop Henrik Lundqvist is as steady as they come. The 32-year-old Swede posted a .919 save percentage and 2.11 GAA in the seven games against Philadelphia Lundqvist is a big reason the Rangers are so difficult to beat in a long series. With its win over Philly, the Blueshirts became the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 in the first round in three consecutive postseasons. In five career Game 7s, Lundqvist is 4-1 with a 1.00 GAA, a .963 save percentage and has allowed two goals or fewer in all five games. The Rangers threw a balanced scoring attack at Philadelphia, with eight players tied for the team lead with two goals apiece and 17 skaters in all registered at least one point. Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards, both members of Tampa Bays 2004 Stanley Cup-winning team, led the way with six points on two goals and four assists, while fellow forwards Carl Hagelin, Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello each had two goals and two assists. Even physical forward Daniel Carcillo joined the fun, as the ex-Flyer scored two goals against his former team, including the first marker in Wednesdays 2-1 Game 7 victory. If there is one guy who needs to get going for New York its the clubs top offensive weapon Rick Nash. The big, talented winger led the team with 26 goals during the regular season, but he failed to score against the Flyers while notching four assists. Over 23 career playoff games, Nash only has managed two goals while recording 10 assists. Zuccarello posted two goals and four assists to lead the Rangers in scoring against the Pens during the season series. Both Fleury and Lundqvist started all four games in net. Pittsburghs No. 1 netminder had a 3.12 GAA in the season series, while Lundqvist was slightly better with a 2.88 GAA. Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd. Jamaal Wilkes Lakers Jersey . Beckham says "nothing has been confirmed yet, but its something I am very excited about." He adds that "Miami is something that really excites me because there is a great energy down there. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/LeBron-James-Jersey/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive.(SportsNetwork.com) - The only thing separating the Philadelphia 76ers from tying the franchise record for consecutive losses to start a season is the Brooklyn Nets. The two will meet Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers losing streak reached 14 Monday night at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. Philly led at the half, but LaMarcus Aldridge took over and the Blazers left with a 114-104 victory. Aldridge and Damian Lillard scored 15 and 10 points, respectively, in the third to help Portland grab an 89-80 advantage. The Blazers outscored Philadelphia by a 39-28 margin in the period. Michael Carter-Williams ended with 24 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers. Henry Sims and Tony Wroten had 22 and 20 points, respectively, for the Sixers, who shot 50 percent from the field, but went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Sixers can tie the 1972-73 team that opened the season with an 0-15 mark. That team more than 40 years ago went on to have the NBAs worst record ever of 9-73. Philly is four losses away from tying the Nets record for worst start. That Nets team went 0-18 to kick off the 2009-10 season. Nobody is rolling over or pointing fingers, 76ers coach Brett Brown said. This locker room is great. The Sixers will finish off a four-game homestandd with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday and the world champion San Antonio Spurs on Monday. Cheap LeBron James Lakers Jersey. Wednesdays game will complete a three-game trip for the Nets. They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, then fell to the Spurs, 99-87, on Saturday. You just keep battling, getting better, competing, said Nets head coach Lionel Hollins. Theres no numbers, I just want us to go forward. Deron Williams scored 24 points and Mirza Teletovic, who started in place of a resting Kevin Garnett, went for 22 and eight boards as Brooklyn fell for the sixth time in seven games. The Spurs led by seven after the first quarter, then created more distance by scoring the first 11 points of the second. Brooklyn never led, though they were within eight following Joe Johnsons floater with 5:47 left in the game. San Antonio closed it out late for the 12-point win. The Nets scored 100 points just once in their last six games and that came in a triple-overtime marathon versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn doesnt leave the area over its next five games with one road game against the New York Knicks. The Nets took three of four from the Sixers last season and are 7-3 in their last 10 in the series. Philadelphia has won two of the last three at home against Brooklyn. 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