Schedule and 2014-15 Results
Regular Season Records: New York Rangers 53-22-7=113pts, Pittsburgh 43-27-12=98pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 16 April: Pittsburgh loses at New York Rangers, 2-goals-1
Game 2 on Saturday, 18 April: Pittsburgh wins at New York Rangers, 4-goals-3
Game 3 on Monday, 20 April: New York Rangers win at Pittsburgh, 2-goals-1
Game 4 on Wednesday, 22 April: New York Rangers win at Pittsburgh, 2-goals-1 (OT)
Game 5 on Friday, 24 April: Pittsburgh loses at New York Rangers, 2-goals-1 (OT)

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The New York Rangers hosted and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-goals-1 in overtime to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1256 victory. With the series 1256 win, the New York Rangers improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 31-38 overall and 12-6 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1256 loss, the Pittsburgh Penguins see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 29-22 overall and 14-7 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious New York Rangers in series 1256 was WLWWW: Series 1256 thus becomes the 11th NHL Preliminary-round series, the 37th NHL series (all rounds), and the 78th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. In series 1256, the Penguins in Pittsburgh scored only two goals -- the fewest goals on home ice by a team in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series since series 1235, when the series 1256-winning Rangers in New York scored only two goals (ironically enough) in the 2014 NHL Finals.

After Game 4: The New York Rangers visited and bested the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-goals-1 in overtime to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1256 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Rangers have a series record of 13-1 and a Game 5 record of 8-6. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 2-7 (with an active six-series losing streak) and a Game 5 record of 5-4.

After Game 3: The New York Rangers visited and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1256 lead of 2-games-1.

After Game 2: The Pittsburgh Penguins visited and defeated the New York Rnagers 4-goals-3 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1256 at 1-game-all.

After Game 1: The New York Rangers hosted and bested the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1256 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Rangers have a series record of 21-11 (with an active three-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 13-19. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 12-14 (with an active three-series losing streak) and a Game 2 record of 14-12.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2014-15 NHL regular season, the New York Rangers finished 15 points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. From 1939 through the 2014 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 15 regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 20-7 (.741) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1256 is the 69th best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the New York Rangers, and the 51st for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the New York Rangers have an all-rounds series record of 30-38, a Preliminary-round series record of 11-6 (with an active three-series winning streak), and a Game 1 record of 32-36, while the Pittsburgh Penguins have an all-rounds series record of 29-21, a Preliminary-round series record of 14-6, and a Game 1 record of 24-26. Series 1256 is the sixth best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh has won four of the previous five best-of-7 NHL playoff series between the two teams.