The Penguins grabbed a 2-1 series lead over the Rangers thanks to a 2-0 win. Marc-Andre Fleury had his second-straight shutout as New York outshot Pittsburgh 35-15. Fleury looks like he's finally feeling comfortable.

Sidney Crosby's goalless drought came to an end as he got the winner after taking a nice stretch pass and beating Henrik Lundqvist five hole. Most of the time when you finally get one the flood gates open, so the Rangers better watch out.

Perhaps just as important was Crosby's play in the faceoff circle, as he went 57 percent and won some crucial draws down the stretch in the third period. That's a part of his game Crosby has improved on over the years.

Jussi Jokinen scored the other goal giving him points in seven straight. He's had just one game this postseason when he was held off the score sheet. His goal came on a blunder during the end of a Rangers power play after Brad Richards missed a pass to the point and Jokinen scooped it up coming out of the box. Somehow the commentators felt it was Lundqvist's fault for not banging his stick hard enough to let New York know the penalty was ending, which may or may not have been the most ridiculous thing of all-time. Let's blame the guy who has been standing on his head for two games while his team can't score. Unreal.

James Neal with a pair of hits on Monday. He's been throwing his weight around all series and he's incorporating more and more physicality into his game. Neal averaged about a hit per game this season, but I feel he could do far more than that. He's never going to get near Milan Lucic's hit totals, but could you imagine if Neal was able to tally 150-160 combined with his offensive ability? What a fantasy commodity he would be.

Here's Crosby finally finding the back of the net.

*

The Rangers didn't actually look that tired for a team that was playing its fifth game in seven nights. They generated 35 shots, but their power play still looked dreadful. Granted, Pittsburgh blocked a lot of pucks, but the Rangers weren't exactly overly creative with the man advantage out there.

One thing is for sure, if Rick Nash and Derek Stepan don't pick things up soon, then New York won't be around long. They've combined for just one point in seven games and it's a miracle they got through Philadelphia with that lack of production.

Raphael Diaz checked in for his first game of the playoffs and led the Rangers with six shots. He was actually one of the few that looked dangerous on the power play. He played nearly 20 minutes and something tells me he stays in for Game 4.

*

The Kings are now up 2-0 on the Ducks thanks to a quick start after a goal from Marian Gaborik. He looks rejuvenated in Los Angeles and that may turn out to be the best of all the deadline deals when everything is said and done.

Jonathan Quick’s early playoff struggles are a distant memory. He stopped 36-of-37 shots and has posted a save percentage no worse than .923 in six-straight games. 

Alec Martinez scored for the Kings and hasn’t really slowed down too much from that wild pace he was on late in the season. That was his second straight game with a goal and fifth point of the playoffs. If he keeps this up in a deep Kings playoff run he’s likely to convince some he’s worthy of a significant pick in next year’s drafts, but I’d still be cautious. 

*

Jonas Hiller gave up two goals on 16 shots. Hard to blame him but do they go back to Andersen now just to try and give the team a spark?

Patrick Maroon scored for Anaheim to give him points in five straight. He’s been excellent since early March and will be someone to target in your draft next year. If Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, and Daniel Winnik don’t return next season, then Maroon will be a good play. He also saw decent power play minutes and time with Getzlaf and Perry late in the year, too. 

*

As Dobber mentioned yesterday, Bryan Bickell is at it again. He’s got five goals and eight points in eight playoff games, after scoring just 11 goals all season. Last year he showed a similar pattern, scoring nine goals all year and then adding nine in the postseason. Bickell’s play in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs earned him a 4-year, $16-million deal last summer and many acquisitions to fantasy rosters this year. 

Hopefully that doesn’t happen again next season and people realize Bickell seems to be one of those players who rises to the occasion in the playoffs and posts less than average results during regular season play. He’d certainly be good for a postseason pool, but shouldn’t provide much over 82 games. 

Some will point to the fact that the Blackhawks overspent when they gave him that big deal, but if he keeps this play up all spring and helps Chicago to another Cup, then it will be worth it. 

*

Commissioner Gary Bettman recently touched on the topic of expansion and there are some cities clearly on the league’s radar. Las Vegas, Seattle, and Quebec are getting the most attention. Las Vegas seems to be the trendy choice, but Quebec and Seattle are probably more logical. Bringing back the Nordiques would be similar to the way the league revived the Jets, and they would have an instant renewed rivalry with Montreal. 

Seattle is a great sports city, as evident by the Seahawks’ recent Super Bowl run, and should have little trouble supporting a team. They’ve been hungry for more professional sports since the SuperSonics were taken away. 

With two divisions of seven and two divisions of eight, it just makes sense to balance them out at some point. The league just needs to choose right and make sure the teams are sustainable wherever they put them. 

*

I’ll be keeping a close eye on where Matt Niskanen ends up this summer. He posted a career high 46 points and 162 shots for the Pens, but will they re-sign him? Nearly half of his points (21) came when Kris Letang was out of the lineup, so I’m not entirely sure he could duplicate this year’s performance again next season with a healthy Penguin blue line.

However, if he ends up somewhere else with less depth on the back end, I’ll be looking to scoop up Niskanen quickly. 

*

Ray Whitney may have played in his last National Hockey League game. It will be hard to imagine there will be many suitors this summer for the 41-year-old with the way he played down the stretch. Whitney makes a good point, though, about his ice time, saying he didn’t get enough of it to get his legs going. He played less than 14 minutes a night this season and that’s a difficult thing to do for someone at that age. It may seem like playing more would be difficult when you’re over 40, but sometimes the legs seize up on the bench when you sit for extended periods of time. Just look at how Jaromir Jagr is always having them worked on by trainers in-between shifts. 

Granted, Whitney is no Jagr, but he did get nearly three minutes a night on the power play. If he goes to a more veteran squad that gives him at least third-line minutes (Whitney was relegated to fourth duties for much of the second half of the season and playoffs), he may be able to provide something. The Stars are in a youth movement and want to see what the youngsters can bring to the table, forcing Whitney to take a backseat. 

Still, it’s going to be tough for him to earn a contract, especially with how his postseason went. Dallas was likely counting on him to be a help there because of his experience, but instead he failed to record a point and managed just three shots. 

*

Sean McIndoe looks at Joe Thornton and if he’ll ever get that elusive Stanley Cup.

"Thornton, of course, has already been traded once, in the 2005 deal that sent him from Boston to San Jose. That deal seemed like a laughable rip-off at the time it was made, and even worse when Thornton went on to win the Hart Trophy that year (the only player ever traded in the middle of an MVP season). But the Bruins have a Cup and Thornton doesn't, so who's laughing now?"

*

Andrew Shaw won't play in Game 3 for Chicago but hasn't been ruled out of Game 4.

*

With Kirk Muller the latest coach to get fired Monday, is Randy Carlyle next? If the Leafs were going to make a move they were probably going to wait until the Raptors were eliminated, so something could go down this week. It's only natural for a new president or general manager to want their own guy in place, so maybe Brendan Shanahan starts fresh. Or maybe he's waiting to see what the Sharks do with Todd McLellan. If he's fired one would think he would be in high demand.

*

Fear not, Carey Price’s lost dogs have been found.

Michael Amato is an Associate Editor for DobberHockey and a News Editor for theScore. You can follow him on Twitter at @amato_mike