Penguins-Rangers player to isolate on during ABC telecast debated

There will be no shortage of talent on the ice when the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers face each other at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN NOW).

The Rangers (39-19-10) have added high-scoring forwards Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko to a roster that already boasted center Mika Zibanejad, forward Artemi Panarin, defenseman Adam Fox (Norris Trophy winner in 2021) and goalie Igor Shesterkin, who won the Vezina Trophy in 2022.
Center Sidney Crosby of the Penguins (34-24-10) has long been considered the best player in the game. Center Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is inheriting that mantle, but Crosby remains among the NHL's top players and is having an MVP season. Center Evgeni Malkin is averaging better than a point per game and is the second highest-scoring active Russia-born player in the League behind Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin. Defenseman Kris Letang has been a consistently good defenseman for the better part of two decades.
New York won 4-2 in the first game of this two-game set on home ice Thursday. Forward Chris Kreider had two goals for the Rangers and Zibanejad added one. Crosby had two assists for Pittsburgh and now has averaged a point per season for the 18th time in his career, a remarkable testament to his consistency.
The star power will be obvious to even the casual viewer, but which player should be the focus?
We asked a panel of NHL.com staffers what player they would choose if they could watch only one on an isolated camera.
Here, in alphabetical order, are their answers.
Sidney Crosby, Penguins
I didn't have to think for more than a second about this one. It's easy: Crosby. One of the greatest players in NHL history, I want to watch every single move he makes in a game. I want to see who he talks to on the bench. I want to see who he huddles with before a face-off. I want to see where his eyes are looking and where his body is pointed and where his skates are angled. I think the key is that you want to learn all the subtle secrets to what makes Crosby great -- and you'd get that not from watching the overall picture of the game, but from isolating him in every moment. At this point in his career, there are players who are flashier, faster, who have better moves -- some of them who will be on the ice in this game -- but that's not who I want to see. I want Crosby, and I think I'm not alone. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Video: CBJ@PIT: Crosby rips in a one-timer PPG for win in OT
Adam Fox, Rangers
When it comes to the Rangers, there is no shortage of mouths to feed at this star-studded table. Panarin, Kane, Kreider, Zibanejad, Tarasenko, the list goes on. So, who feeds them? That's where Fox comes in. The 2021 Norris Trophy winner, voted the NHL's top defenseman, is the quarterback of this offense, especially on the talented power play, so it's fascinating to see what goes into his decision-making as to who he dishes the puck to in certain situations, and why. There's another layer to this too. We all know the elite offensive acumen of a guy who has 224 points (34 goals, 190 assists) in 271 games in the League. But how does his defensive game match up against stars like Crosby, Malkin and forward Jake Guentzel? It would be interesting to see how he fares on a shift-to-shift basis. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Patrick Kane, Rangers
It's obvious why an iso cam on Kane would be must-watch TV. He's one of a handful of players who has laced 'em up in the NHL in the past quarter-century that regularly displays take-you-out-of-your-seat moments. His stops and starts, dangles and dekes, they're all legendary. But Kane has had only a handful of those moments in his first seven games with New York since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade on Feb. 28. A handful is not enough for Kane. He has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past five games, but Kane still seems to be fighting to get adjusted. It's hard to blame him. He played 1,161 of his 1,168 NHL games with the Blackhawks. It's not just going to click for him that quickly. But the iso cam on Kane on Saturday would be fun to watch to see how he handles his shifts, to see if he starts demanding the puck more, to see how much he has it on his stick and to see what he does with it. Kane's game is all about demanding the puck. It's how he has made his hundreds of 'wow' moments through the course of his 16 seasons in the League. A Saturday night at the Garden, the game on national TV, Crosby and the Penguins in the building would be an ideal time for Kane to have his first real signature moment as a Ranger. He'll have to demand the puck to make it happen. Put the iso on him and let's see if he can do it. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Kris Letang, Penguins
Letang is an easy player to root for, not just because he's great at what he does on defense but for what he has overcome and had to endure in his personal life. I think it'd be great to focus on the 35-year-old to complete the picture with how he starts a transition or finds a way to get back to defend against the likes of Panarin, Zibanejad, Kane and Tarasenko. Letang is a gamer, and there's only a choice few NHL defensemen in the game capable of bringing you out of your seat in the thick of the action. Letang is in that mix and at 6-foot, 201 pounds, has had to battle for every inch of ice against the elite players in the League in his 17 seasons. With so much responsibility on his plate, I'd appreciate watching him in the national spotlight, in his element, in a pressure-packed environment at Madison Square Garden. I think fans would, too. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Video: MTL@PIT: Letang buries puck home from the point
Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
I like watching videos of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. So of course I want to watch Malkin on every shift. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, he is one of the elite power forwards in the League. He is just as likely to go through a defender as around one and he is adept at each route. When he is on -- and he will be on for a nationally televised game with huge Stanley Cup Playoff implications -- he is physically engaged, willing to give a hit to separate an opponent from the puck or take one to generate a scoring chance. But it is not all brute force for Malkin. He can be sublime at times with his array of skills and his ability to score in a variety of ways from almost anywhere in the offensive zone. So to isolate a camera on him throughout the game is a no-brainer in my mind -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Artemi Panarin, Rangers
Oh, there are a whole lot of great choices for this one, but I'm going with Panarin. I'll be honest, I kind of miss seeing him on a regular basis in Chicago, working his magic with then-linemate Kane for two seasons. Now I can watch that again, but in focusing on Panarin, I'd just be watching him get around defenders. Sometimes he's taking his time with a good, hesitant move, or circling back to get space before advancing. Or it's watching him move around the ice on the power play, where no matter where he starts, he usually gets back to his "home" (aka, the left circle) to either set up another player or score himself. I'd listen to him and fellow Russia-born forward Tarasenko talk on the bench or watch Panarin and Kane recapture that sense of where each other is on the ice, like they did in Chicago. There's just a whole lot to see. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Video: NYR@BUF: Panarin's PPG wins it for Rangers in OT
Igor Shesterkin, Rangers
I think it would be interesting to see the game from the perspective of the Rangers goalie. What is he doing when Crosby and Malkin have the puck or when the Penguins are passing it around on the power play? Does he cheat toward Crosby or Malkin, knowing how dangerous they can be? How does he read odd-man rushes? When and how often does he come out above the crease to challenge shooters? As evidenced by his assist against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Shesterkin is skilled at playing and passing the puck. How does he handle a dump-in? Is he immediately looking up for a long outlet pass that could catch the opposition in transition? When the opposing goalie is pulled for an extra skater, will he shoot for the empty net when the puck ends up on his stick? To me, all these things would be fun to watch as an alternate telecast of the game. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Mika Zibanejad, Rangers
This may seem like an obvious choice since Zibanejad leads the Rangers in goals (35) and power-play goals (19), and, in my opinion, is the most dynamic player on the team. But the reason I would love to see him on the iso-cam is so I could really get a look at his entire game. You see, Zibanejad is not just New York's best goal-scorer, but its best all-around forward and best defensive forward. He leads Rangers forwards in short-handed time on ice per game (2:05), as well as face-offs taken (1,161). And back to his goal-scoring for a second; he is an absolute sniper, especially on the power play. Even if you were watching the whole game, it would be hard to take your eyes off him, so just imagine him on the iso-cam. --Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief