SEASON SERIES
	Oct. 14 Jan. 25 Feb. 22 Mar. 11 Mar. 19	Pittsburgh 5, at NY Rangers 2 NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7:30pm ET Pittsburgh at NY Rangers, 7:30pm ET NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7:30pm ET NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 8:00pm ET

The Rangers' climb up the Eastern Conference standings continued on Monday with a decisive 6-3 victory over expansion Atlanta. Petr Nedved continued his hot play with his fourth career hat trick and second this month.

Nedved has been a key reason for the turnaround. Nedved, the subject of serious trade rumors last week, has three goals and four assists in his last three games while centering the "Czech Line" with Radek Dvorak and rookie Jan Hlavac.

Monday's victory came one day after left wing Kevin Stevens was arrested on drug charges in suburban St. Louis and entered the substance abuse program administered by the NHL and the Players Association. Rookie Johan Witehall was recalled from the minors to replace Stevens and recorded a goal and assist on Monday.

The Rangers have won eight of their last nine games and, at 20-20-7, are at the break-even mark for the first time since they were 4-4-1 on October 19. They hold the seventh spot in the conference and will leap-frog sixth-place Washington with a win tonight.

Pittsburgh is 1-1-1 without All-Star Jaromir Jagr in the lineup, but that comes off a three-game losing streak with the game's top offensive force on the ice. Jagr, the NHL's leading scorer with 74 points, remains day-to-day with a rib injury.

The skid has dropped Pittsburgh one game out of a playoff spot and it enters tonight's contest two points behind Boston for eighth, but only one ahead of Carolina, which hosts Phoenix tonight.

The Penguins have won two straight home games and are 13-6-2 at Mellon Arena.

Pittsburgh posted a 5-2 victory over New York in the only other meeting on October 14 and is 5-2-2 over the last nine in the series. The Penguins are also 1-0-3 in the last four at home with three consecutive ties.

NY RANGERS 10-game log	PITTSBURGH 10-game log
Jan. 15 Jan. 16 Jan. 18 Jan. 20 Jan. 22 Jan. 24 Jan. 25 Jan. 27 Jan. 29 Jan. 31 @ NY Islanders Atlanta Carolina @ Carolina @ St. Louis @ Atlanta @ Pittsburgh Toronto @ Ottawa Nashville W 5-2 W 6-3 W 3-2 W 4-1 W 4-1 W 6-3	Jan. 12 Jan. 13 Jan. 15 Jan. 19 Jan. 22 Jan. 23 Jan. 25 Jan. 27 Jan. 29 Jan. 31 @ Phoenix @ Colorado @ Nashville St. Louis @ Montreal Philadelphia NY Rangers Atlanta Anaheim @ Atlanta L 1-3 L 3-4 L 2-4 W 3-1 L 2-4 T 4-4