All the pregame attention in the New York media went to defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, who were assigned to bottle up Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Game 1 of the Penguins-Rangers second-round playoff series, won 3-2 by New York in overtime. But Marc Staal wound up as the stalwart of the blue line, playing a team-high 26:03 that included 4:41 shorthanded to keep the Penguins scoreless on four power plays. "The way he keeps the game so simple is something we talk about every time," Benoit Pouliot said. "Get that big block or make that pass, he's always going to be in position to help us out. Sometimes you don't recognize it, but we do." Coach Alain Vigneault also praised Staal. "He's got one of the best sticks in the league; he did a good job gapping up. Him and Strallsy [Anton Stralman] have found a way to complement each other."