(Sports Network) - A pair of Atlantic Division rivals will begin the best-of- seven Eastern Conference semifinals tonight, as the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the New York Rangers for Game 1 at Mellon Arena.

The second-seeded Penguins won the Atlantic this season, giving the club its first division title since winning the Northeast crown in 1998.

The Penguins made quick work of the Ottawa Senators in the opening round, sweeping the Sens in four games. Pittsburgh is now in the second round of the postseason for the first time since getting to the conference finals in 2001.

New York also had an easy first-round series as it eliminated New Jersey, another division rival, in five games. The fifth-seeded Rangers are in the conference semifinals for the second straight year, as they defeated Atlanta in the opening round a year ago before falling to Buffalo.

The Blueshirts haven't made it past the second round since losing to Philadelphia in the 1997 conference finals.

Pittsburgh is 3-0 all-time against the Rangers in the postseason, with the Pens' last victory coming in five games during the 1996 conference semifinals.

New York went 5-3 against the Penguins this year and the Blueshirts allowed Pittsburgh to score more than three goals against them just once during the regular season.

Pittsburgh had a solid 26-10-5 record as the hosts this season, while the Rangers were just 17-14-10 as the road club.

Game 2 of this series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in the Steel City.

The Penguins dominated the Senators with a potent offensive attack that is led by a trio of superstar forwards in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa.

Crosby, who sat out 29 games in the regular season with a high ankle sprain, appeared to be 100-percent in the Ottawa series, as he led all players in the set with eight points (2 goals, 6 assists).

Malkin, who was second in the NHL with 106 points this year, also turned in a strong performance in the opening round, recording two goals and five assists against the Senators. Hossa had one goal and four assists in the four-game series.

With the offensive firepower at the Penguins' disposal, it's easy to forget how well goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has played over the last few months. Fleury, who missed over two months of the season with a high ankle sprain, was 19-10-2 with a .921 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average in 35 games (33 starts) this season.

The 23-year-old netminder was particularly hot at the end of the regular season, as he went 10-2-1 in his final 13 starts. Fleury carried that success over into the first round by going 4-0 with a 1.26 goals against average and .955 save percentage.

The Rangers defeated the Devils with a balanced scoring attack, as three players posted three goals and six skaters notched four or more points in the five games.

Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez were the best offensive options against New Jersey, as Jagr recorded eight points (2g, 6a) and Gomez posted three goals and four assists. Gomez also led the Rangers with a plus-five rating for the series.

Tonight's test will mark Jagr's first-ever playoff game against the team he won two Stanley Cup titles with in 1991 and '92. Jagr spent the first 11 years of his career with the Penguins and won five scoring titles and one Hart Trophy during his time in the Steel City.

In addition to scoring depth, the Rangers also have one of the best goaltenders in the league at their disposal in Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist was solid in the Devils series, going 4-1 with a 2.36 goals against average and .917 save percentage. He is 10-8 in NHL playoff games and also helped lead Team Sweden to a Gold Medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.