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Penguins-Rangers Preview

Mar 13, 2016 - 5:43 AM While the New York Rangers just got a couple key pieces back for their postseason push, the Pittsburgh Penguins will likely be without one of theirs until the second round of the playoffs - if they make it there at all.

With Henrik Lundqvist and Rick Nash back, the Rangers hope to solidify their solid standing Sunday when they host the Penguins, who will try to pad their lead for the Eastern Conference's final spot without Evgeni Malkin.

Pittsburgh (35-24-8) has traded wins and losses in its last six games but may have suffered its biggest loss when Malkin left Friday's 3-2 win in Columbus with an upper-body injury he suffered in a collision with Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout.

It was announced Saturday that Malkin will miss six to eight weeks, a timeline that would keep the star center sidelined until the second round at the earliest.

Malkin, who has 27 goals and 31 assists in 57 games, missed 10 games earlier this season with an undisclosed injury.

His production early this season guarded against a Penguins collapse, and it seemed the club had a shot to kick it into gear while he and Sidney Crosby adapted to new coach Mike Sullivan's system in January.

However, things slowed with a 5-4-1 record and Malkin on the sideline from Feb. 5-24. He returned with four goals and five assists in eight games before exiting Friday's win, which for the time being has the Penguins in the East's No. 8 spot with 78 points.

It appears center Nick Bonino will bump up to Pittsburgh's second line with Malkin out, playing between Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel.

"The focus for me is playing well in our end, getting the puck up to them and let them skate with it and make some plays," Bonino told the team's official website. "For me, my game won't change. I'll still create chances. Hopefully they'll go in."

The Penguins have averaged 3.42 goals over their last 12 games. However, things may be tougher to come by against New York (39-22-7), which just returned its top goaltender eight days after he left a 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh with neck spasms.

Lundqvist made 19 saves and allowed three goals before exiting that loss between the second and third periods, and he missed three more games before returning with 40 saves in Saturday's 3-2 overtime defeat at Detroit.

"It had only been a week, but for some reason it feels like it's been longer," Lundqvist told the team's official website. "I felt like I played my game, but it's just tough to come up short like this when we're that close."

Coach Alain Vigneault confirmed Lundqvist will start again Sunday as the Rangers look to break a tie with Florida for the East's No. 3 seed and bypass Boston for the second spot following a mediocre 2-2-1 stretch. They own the NHL's second-best home record at 23-7-3 - behind only East-leading Washington's 26-6-2.

Nash also returned Saturday from a 20-game absence due to a bone bruise with two shots in 17:12. He has 12 goals and 21 assists in 46 games.

Lundqvist recorded one of his four shutouts this season by making 34 saves in a 3-0 win in Pittsburgh on Feb. 10. That was New York's third straight victory in this series and sixth straight with a point before the Penguins' victory about three weeks later.

Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has 46 saves and a .939 save percentage against the Rangers this season. He became the 20th goaltender in NHL history with 350 wins by making 25 saves in Friday's victory over the Blue Jackets.