Schedule and 2015-16 Results
Regular Season Records: Pittsburgh 48-26-8=104pts, New York Rangers 46-27-9=101pts
Game 1 on Wednesday, 13 April: New York Rangers lose at Pittsburgh, 5-goals-2
Game 2 on Saturday, 16 April: New York Rangers win at Pittsburgh, 4-goals-2
Game 3 on Tuesday, 19 April: Pittsburgh wins at New York Rangers, 3-goals-1
Game 4 on Thursday, 21 April: Pittsburgh wins at New York Rangers, 5-goals-nil
Game 5 on Saturday, 23 April: New York Rangers lose at Pittsburgh, 6-goals-3

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted and topped the New York Rangers 6-goals-3 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1290 victory. With the series 1290 win, the Pittsburgh Penguins improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 30-22 overall and 15-7 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1290 loss, the New York Rangers see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 32-40 overall and 12-7 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Pittsburgh Penguins in series 1290 was WLWWW: Series 1290 thus becomes the 12th NHL Preliminary-round series, the 38th NHL series (all rounds), and the 79th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The sum of the victory margins in series 1290 - 15 goals - is the largest in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series lasting five games since the same 15-goal margin in series 1189, in which the Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL Preliminary round. As the New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins WLWWW in series 1256 (the 2015 NHL Preliminary round), so it is that the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers WLWWW in series 1290 (the 2016 NHL Preliminary round).

After Game 4: The Pittsburgh Penguins visited and shut out the New York Rangers 5-goals-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1290 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 9-3 and a Game 5 record of 7-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Rangers have a series record of 2-17 and a Game 5 record of 6-13. The road shutout notched by Pittsburgh in series 1290 Game 5 was the most lopsided best-of-7 NHL playoffs road shutout since series 1190, in which the New York Rangers themselves whitewashed the Capitals in Washington 5-goals-nil in Game 7 of their 2013 NHL Preliminary round series.

After Game 3: The Pittsburgh Penguins visited and defeated the New York Rangers 3-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1290 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 11-7 and a Game 4 record of 7-11. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the New York Rangers have a series record of 9-21 and a Game 4 record of 17-13.

After Game 2: The New York Rangers visited and bested the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-goals-2 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1290 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 11-13 and a Game 3 record of 14-10, while the New York Rangers have a series record of 19-16 and a Game 3 record of 16-19. New York trailed the Penguins in Pittsburgh by a goal as late as 12:37 into the second period. In the history of best-of-7 format NHL playoff games, road teams down a goal as late as 12:37 into the second period had a game record of only 168-627 (.211).

After Game 1: The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted and bested the New York Rangers 5-goals-2 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1290 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 17-7 (with an active three-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 15-9. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Rangers have a series record of 10-27 and a Game 2 record of 14-23. Teams such as Pittsburgh which win Game 1 of a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 5-goals-2 have a 13-4 series record with an active six-series winning streak and five-Game 2 winning streak.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2015-16 NHL regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished three points ahead of the New York Rangers. From 1939 through the 2015 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by three regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 11-19 (.367) with an active eight-series losing streak in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1290 is the 52nd best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the 72nd for the New York Rangers. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Pittsburgh Penguins have an all-rounds series record of 29-22, a Preliminary-round series record of 14-7, and a Game 1 record of 24-27, while the New York Rangers have an all-rounds series record of 32-39, a Preliminary-round series record of 12-6 (with an active four-series winning streak), and a Game 1 record of 34-37. Series 1290 is the seventh best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. Pittsburgh defeated the Rangers in the first four best-of-7 playoff series between the two; New York prevailed in the last two such series.