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PHT Morning Skate: Penguins hope to defend home ice in Game 7

New York Rangers  v Pittsburgh Penguins - Game Five

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 9: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins stretches on ice during warm ups before playing the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 9, 2014 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Jamie Sabau

There may be two games tonight, but all eyes will be on Pittsburgh where the Penguins host the New York Rangers for Game 7.

The Penguins at one point held a 3-1 lead in the series only to see the Rangers storm back with a 5-1 win in Game 5 and a 3-0 win in Game 6. There could be a lot more at stake for Pittsburgh than just staying alive in the playoffs in this game as another playoff collapse and another season without a Stanley Cup may not sit well.

The night’s other game is a possible elimination game as the Minnesota Wild look to force a Game 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild have hung tough with Chicago but will need to keep holding their own on home ice to keep moving on.

Game 7: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers [Series tied 3-3] (7:00 p.m. ET -- NBCSN)

The Penguins did so much to try and change their mindset for Game 7 they pulled out all the tricks including spending the night in a hotel at home to try and eliminate distractions. That might prove to be a good move because the Penguins are 1-2 in this series at CONSOL Energy Center.

The pressure is on and a lot of that is falling on the shoulders of Sidney Crosby to lift the team on his own. Yes, he’s had trouble putting the puck in the net and he is driving a lot of the play, but it’s the raw stats people are going to remember when it’s over and those aren’t there for him right now.

Considering how coolly the Rangers have played things in the past two games and the spot the Penguins put themselves in, there doesn’t seem to be too much pressure on Henrik Lundqvist. He’s had help in this series from Derick Brassard who has four goals against the Pens.

Game 7 hasn’t been kind to the Penguins recently as they’re 0-2 in their last two after winning two Game 7s during their Stanley Cup run in 2009. The Rangers, meanwhile, have won four straight Game 7s and are 3-0 in elimination games this season.

Game 6: Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks [Chicago leads series 3-2] (9:00 p.m. ET -- CNBC)

Home-ice advantage has been where it’s at in this series and for the Wild they’ll need it to stay that way to move on. Luckily for them, they’ve been in exactly this spot once already in the playoffs overcoming a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Colorado Avalanche in seven games.

While Zach Parise and Ryan Suter get all the attention, quietly it’s been rookie Erik Haula who’s gotten it done with four points in this series. The pressure may be on Ilya Bryzgalov the most to try and shut down the Blackhawks attack. He’s been better in the past two games, but still has just a .899 save percentage against Chicago.

The Blackhawks will look to Corey Crawford to get his own ship righted against the Wild. Minnesota has put more shots on goal than Chicago and Crawford has stopped them at a .913 rate. It’s good, but not great but it’s been simple for the ‘Hawks in that if Crawford is at his best, they’re going to win.

Thing to look for? Whether or not Mike Yeo can keep Mikael Granlund away from Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks captain made life hard on the Finnish rookie’s line in Game 5. The last change should alleviate those issues for Minnesota.

Follow @JoeYerdonPHT