Former Penguins Face Off in Conference Final

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PITTSBURGH – The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are closing in on the Conference Finals, and numerous former Pittsburgh Penguins are still competing. The battle for the Eastern Conference championship will be fought between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, and both feature former Penguins.

Recently traded defenseman Chad Ruhwedel now suits up for the Rangers, while Evan Rodrigues and Dmitry Kulikov represent the Panthers. While Ruhwedel hasn’t played in a single playoff game with the Rangers, his team will look to topple the Panthers for the right to play in the Stanley Cup Final.

Kulikov was only briefly a Penguins defender, appearing in six games following last season’s trade deadline. In 11 games this playoff run, Kulikov has not scored a point.

Rodrigues, meanwhile, has made some good noise for himself in the postseason. In their six-game series win over the Boston Bruins, Rodrigues scored twice in a huge Game 3 victory. In 11 games played, Rodrigues has picked up three goals and three assists for six points.

While the Panthers are hunting for their franchise’s first Stanley Cup, Rodrigues holds an interesting distinction in Penguins’ history. Rodrigues is the last Penguin to score a playoff goal.

In 2022 Game 7 of the opening round series, ironically against the Rangers, Rodrigues scored a short-handed goal to put the Penguins up 3-2. The Rangers would win 4-3 in overtime, winning the series.

The Penguins haven’t returned to the playoffs since, making Rodrigues’ goal the last time the Penguins scored a postseason goal.

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