John Tortorella Fined For Post-Game Comments

New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella has been fined $20,000 by the NHL for his comments stemming from last night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

An obviously frustrated Tortorella lashed out at the Penguins and their star players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin when asked about a hit Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik put on Derek Stepan.

"It's a cheap, dirty hit. I wonder what would happen if we did it to their two whining stars over there. I wonder what would happen. So I'm anxious to see what happens with the League over this. Just no respect among players. None. It's sickening."

This isn't the first time he has shot off his mouth when angry, so the comments come as so surprise. As for the Penguins, there has been no word as to what punishment Orpik will receive for the hit.

For more on the Pittsburgh Penguins, visit PensBurgh. For the latest on the New York Rangers, stop by Blueshirt Banter.

NHL Standings 2012: Penguins Locked In To Play Philadelphia Flyers In First Round

Both conferences in the NHL have their eight teams that will be in the playoffs at the start of next week. So while the only drama on the final day of the season will be the seeding, that could really shake up the postseason match-ups. Despite that, it won't effect the matchup for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Eastern Conference

1. New York Rangers 51-23-7, 109 points (clinched Atlantic Division and No. 1 seed)

2. Boston Bruins 48-29-4, 100 points (clinched Northeast Division)

3. Florida Panthers 37-26-18, 92 points

4. Pittsburgh Penguins 50-25-6, 106 points

5. Philadelphia Flyers 47-25-9, 103 points

6. New Jersey Devils 47-28-6, 100 points

7. Ottawa Senators 41-30-10, 92 points

8. Washington Capitals 41-32-8, 90 points

Western Conference

1. Vancouver Canucks 50-22-9, 109 points (clinched Northwest Division)

2. St. Louis Blues 48-21-11, 107 points (Two games remaining, clinched Central Division)

3. Los Angeles Kings 40-27-14, 94 points (clinched Pacific Division)

4. Nashville Predators 47-26-8, 102 points

5. Detroit Red Wings 48-28-5, 101 points

6. Chicago Blackhawks 44-26-11, 99 points

7. San Jose Sharks 42-29-10, 94 points

8. Phoenix Coyotes 40-27-13, 93 points (Two games remaining)

The Penguins are locked into the No. 4 seed and will play the Philadelphia Flyers in Round One of the NHL Playoffs. Both teams play each other on April 7 for the sixth time in the regular season. The Flyers have won four of the five games that they have played against Pittsburgh this season.

If the playoff series is anything like the teams' games during the regular season, there could be a lot of goals scored. No game in their series this season has seen less than five total goals.

For more on this game and all things Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, please head over to PensBurgh.

Rangers Vs. Penguins Recap: Pittsburgh Locks Up Home-Ice Advantage With 5-2 Win

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the rival Rangers 5-2 on Thursday night, clinching home-ice for a first-round matchup that is now set against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers will come to Pittsburgh this weekend to finish off the regular season before getting their playoff series underway next week. But first, the Pens took care of the No. 1 seed Rangers with a convincing win.

In the third period, the Pens increased their lead to three goals and then added a late empty-netter to clinch it. Evgeni Malkin scored his 49th goal of the season nine minutes into the period. Malkin went streaking to the front of the net and took a feed from Chris Kunitz behind the crease to quickly beat Rangers' goalie Martin Biron and make it 4-1. Brian Boyle would score an unassisted goal to cut the lead back to two, but Marc-Andre Fleury was strong over the final five minutes as the Rangers peppered him and amped up the pressure with 6 men on the ice. With Biron out of the net, Kris Letang would rip a puck and score his 10th goal of the season into an empty net.

While this game meant more to Pittsburgh than New york, it was a quality win for the Pens who now wrap it all up on Saturday afternoon against the Flyers.

For more on this game and all things Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, please head over toPensBurgh. For a view from the other bench, please check out Blueshirt Banter, SB Nation's New York Rangers blog. And for more on this and every NHL game, you can head over to the SB Nation NHL hub page.

Rangers Vs. Penguins Score Update: Pittsburgh Jumps Up 3-1 After 40 Minutes

The Pittsburgh Penguins lead the division rival Rangers 3-1 after two periods at Consol Energy Center. The Pens got on the board first, scoring just over a minute into the game when Chris Kunitz beat Martin Biron for his 25th goal of the season. Biron is starting in place of potential Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist, as the Rangers are in firm control of the top spot in the Eastern Conference heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

After a Brandon Dubinsky goal quickly evened things up, the Pens re-took the lead on Tyler Kennedy's 11th goal of the year. Jordan Staal was credited with the assist. The Pens then held the Rangers scoreless in the second period and extended the lead to two goals. Richard Park got his seventh goal of the year, and his second against the Rangers when he desperately slapped at the puck as he flew past the crease. The puck ricocheted off the back of the right pad of Biron and Pittsburgh had a multi-goal lead. Pascal Dupuis assisted on the goal extending his points scoring streak to 16 games. He's only the fourth Penguin to have that long a streak over the past 20 years, joining Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Sidney Crosby.

For more on this game and all things Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, please head over to PensBurgh. For a view from the other bench, please check out Blueshirt Banter, SB Nation's New York Rangers blog. And for more on this and every NHL game, you can head over to the SB Nation NHL hub page.

Rangers Vs. Penguins: Pittsburgh Plays New York In Possible Playoff Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the New York Rangers on Thursday, but this might not be the last time they see the Blueshirts this season.