From Alex Ovechkin on Thursday at the Garden to Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Rangers are going from one marquee opponent to another, one test to the next. 

“I think everybody has a lot of respect for him, and one of the best players in the game for a long time, obviously,” head coach Gerard Gallant said of Crosby, who has recorded 48 points (15-33) in 41 games for the Penguins. “Those challenges are fun. 

“Whoever gets the minutes against him, it’s a challenge because Sid still works both sides of the puck as good as anybody in the league, he plays a 200-foot game, and he’s not just a high-end skill player, but he works on his game. 

“He wants to win every faceoff, he wants to battle. I don’t know if it’s any different because every team has its star players, but Sid is the one. When you go in there and say, ‘We’re playing against Sidney Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin,’ it opens the guys’ eyes and they get ready for it.” 

The Rangers hold second place in the Metropolitan Division by one point over the Penguins, who were beaten at home by the Devils on Thursday. The Rangers have 31 games to go, compared to Pittsburgh’s 29. This is the first meeting between the clubs, who will then face off three more times between March 25 and April 7. 

Ryan Reaves, who was a teammate of Crosby’s for four-plus months during the 2017-18 season, explained what separates the 34-year-old from his peers. 

“Watching him in games before I played with him, he would bank it off the goalie, and you’d think he was so lucky because he was just trying to put it in front of the net,” the winger said. “But then I played with him and does that all practice.“He works on his game, he likes hard practices, he likes to battle,” Reaves said. “He’s very superstitious — a little too superstitious for me — but he’s a great leader. It’s no wonder why that team is always in contention. When you have a guy like that on your team, he can take you places.” 

“You know it’s not lucky because he’s a one-in-a-lifetime talent. But you see some of the crazy things he does where you might think he pulled it off as a fluke, it’s not a fluke. He’s doing that all practice. He’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever played with.” 

Morgan Barron impressed in his 8:48 of work with linemates Greg McKegg and Julien Gauthier on Thursday against the Capitals. Filip Chytil, who missed the contest with a non-COVID illness, joined that group for practice Friday. It is possible Chytil could replace McKegg, thus allowing Barron to remain in the lineup. 

Barron, who has one assist in 10 matches thus far, played a hard-edged game while denied on a couple of golden opportunities around the net. It was his first NHL game since Feb. 1 against the Panthers. 

“I felt good about it and was excited about getting the chance to go back in and play,” said the 23-year-old, 174th-overall selection of the 2017 draft. “I was happy with my game and thought I created some good chances. Between that and the Florida game, I feel like I’ve been a little bit more involved offensively, which is good, getting pucks to the net and getting a few more shots and scoring opportunities. 

“I feel like it’s coming along and I’m always getting more comfortable out there.”