When the NHL unveiled the 2025-26 schedule back in July, a curious Mike Sullivan quickly perused it to see when his New York Rangers would play his former team.

It didn’t take him long to find the answer, and it wasn’t the one he wanted.

“I was hoping we didn’t see youse until March,” he said with a smirk Saturday after the Rangers’ morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. “It’s something I can’t control. It’s an inevitability. And it’s just part of the process. So when the puck drops tonight, it’s going to be a hockey game. We’re going to do everything we can to try to win it.”

The NHL sure seized on its opportunity to pit Sullivan against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins early in the season. The Penguins opened the new season in New York on Tuesday, then the league scheduled a rematch here in

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