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Prucha plays, but doesn't get much ice time

BY STEVE ZIPAY | steve.zipay@newsday.com

April 28, 2008

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PITTSBURGH - So much for the Prucha Impact.

Rangers right wing Petr Prucha made his first playoff appearance yesterday, subbing for Colton Orr on the fourth line with Blair Betts and Fred Sjostrom.

"I liked his game against these guys. He's done a good job. He's got a good touch," coach Tom Renney had said of his sole lineup change. "It gives us a little more quickness, a little more speed, and I like the second and third effort."

Before this season, Prucha had four goals and five assists in 16 games against Pittsburgh.

But he wasn't given much time to make a difference yesterday. Prucha played only 5:50, the second-fewest minutes of any Ranger, and received zero time on the 0-for-6 power play.

Prucha, 25, had 16 power-play goals in 2005-06 and eight in 2006-07 but has rarely been used on special teams this season.

Pens' PK steps up

Two key trade deadline additions - forward Pascal Dupuis from the Thrashers and defenseman Hal Gill from the Maple Leafs - have helped fortify the Penguins' penalty kill, which was 21st in the NHL at the end of the regular season but has toughened in March and April.

"That was the key to the game," said forward Maxime Talbot, who played 5:31 on the unit. "You want to kill them off, and that's what we did. The Rangers have a great power play and we're going to have to bring that to the road now."

Blue notes

The Rangers won all four games against the Penguins at the Garden during the regular season. "Obviously, we're happy to get two big wins here at home. But they go to somewhere they play well, and it's just going to get tougher from here on in," said Sidney Crosby, whose multiple-point streak was snapped at four games ... It was Marc- Andre Fleury's second shutout of the playoffs. He blanked Ottawa, 4-0, on April 9 ... The Penguins are 14-3 against the Rangers in the playoffs ... Ryan Hollweg, Marek Malik and Jason Strudwick were scratched.