NYR TODAY SAT. 4/23: GAME 5, ALUMNI, TDINYRH

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS GAME 5
BEST OF 7 SERIES PITTSBURGH LEADS SERIES 3-1
NEW YORK RANGERS @ PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
TODAY 3:00 PM, CONSOL ENERGY CENTER, TV; NBC

  
TEAM LEADERS
GOALS: NYR Derek Stepan 2, PIT Patric Hornqvist 4
ASSISTS: NYR J.T. Miller 3, PIT Sidney Crosby 4
POINTS: NYR Derick Brassard 4, PIT Sidney Crosby 6
GAA: NYR Antti Raanta 3.24, PIT Matt Murray 0.5
SV%: NYR Henrik Lundqvist 0.9, PIT Matt Murray 0.979

RANGERS TEAM NOTES: 
The Rangers look to rally back from a 3-1 deficit today against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers after winning Game 2 on the road, The Rangers dropped 2 at Madison Square Garden only cashing in with 1 goal in 6 periods on home ice, a shot handed goal by Rick Nash. Today they look to beat the Pens on their home ice and come back to the Garden on Monday down by 1 game. This is a position New York has been in before vs Pittsburgh and the players seem confident they can come back.
It will be interesting to see if the Rangers make any changes in the lineup to bolster the struggling power play, possibly inserting defenseman Raphael Diaz. Look for Kevin Hayes to be back in for Oscar Lindberg. Lindberg wasn't given much ice time during the late second and most of the third period of Thursday's loss. Henrik Lundqvist who was pulled in the second after giving up 4 goals will be the starting netminder once again today, look for a determined Lundqvist in net looking to right himself after being pulled.
The Rangers will need their special teams to step up in game 5 with the penalty kill allowing 3 goals in game 4 and the power play with only 1 goal in 16 attempts in the series.

NEW YORK RANGERS PROJECTED LINE UP
FORWARDS
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
J.T. Miller-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash
Eric Staal-Kevin Hayes-Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass-Dominic Moore-Viktor Stalberg
 
DEFENSE
Brady Skjei-Ryan McDonagh
Marc Staal-Kevin Klein
Keith Yandle-Dan Boyle

GOAL
Henrik Lundqvist
BACKUP
Antti Raanta
SCRATCHES
Raphael Diaz, Oscar Lindberg, Marek Hrivik, Magnus Hellberg, Dylan McIlrath, Chris Brown, Nicklas Jensen, Jayson Megna and Daniel Paille, Mat Bodie, Ryan Graves, Chris Summers
INJURED
Dan Girardi (undisclosed injury)

NYR Alumni Birthdays 4/23 
Derek Armstrong C (1999-2001) Ryan Hollweg LW (2005-2007)

TODAY IN NYR HISTORY APRIL 23
1997: Wayne Gretzky records a natural hat trick in a span of 6:23 during the second period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Panthers in a 3-2 win.

2012: Chris Kreider scores his first NHL goal and the Rangers defeat the Ottawa Senators to force the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to a seventh game.