Rangers vs. Penguins Felt Like A Playoff Game In March

There's no doubt that bad blood is still in the air from last years playoff series that sent Pittsburgh packing in game seven. A glorious moment for Rangers fans like myself, but a bad taste in the mouth for every single Penguins fan in the building. Aside from an abundance of Rangers penalties in the first period, all was quiet until Jacob Trouba laid that open ice hit on Alex Nylander. Undoubtedly reminding Pittsburgh fans of Trouba's hit that ended Sidney Crosby's season in the playoffs. From then on, bodies were going everywhere and there was constant chirping after what felt like every single whistle.

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This sequence from Vincent Trocheck would eventually lead to the Rangers tying goal scored by Chris Kreider midway through the third period. In terms of the hits, everything looked clean, but the last one by Trocheck might have been a penalty. Always a tough call, but in that playoff-like atmosphere, the officials opted to play on. 

An Artemi Panarin tripping penalty in overtime would be the end all be all, as Kris Letang wired one home to give Pittsburgh the win. A tough loss for the Rangers, but overall an awesome game to watch. It doesn't look like either of these teams will play when the playoffs come around, but if they do, it will be an unbelievable series.