New York Rangers vs Anaheim Ducks Preview
Jan 3, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) celebrates with goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) after defeating the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers defeated the Sabres 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The Rangers vs Ducks starts at 10:30 pm, and can be seen on MSG+ and NBCSN at the Honda Center.
The New York Rangers are coming off a huge 6-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres, but will face probably the toughest team they have face all season so far, the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks are currently number 1 in the entire NHL and are on track to win the presidents trophy at this point in the season. In their last 10 games the Anaheim Ducks are 6-3-1, and the New York Rangers are 9-1. The Rangers are currently the hottest team in the NHL and the Ducks will be their biggest challenge of the season thus far. Also for the Rangers, it will be their first to begin their 3 game Western Conference road trip.
Keys to winning: Lets start with special teams, for the Rangers special teams has been a key ingredient ever since they went on their hot streak. The Rangers need to continue to take advantage of both their powerplay and penalty kill units. This season the Ducks for both penalty killing and powerplay percentage, rank in the bottom 20 in the entire NHL. The Rangers powerplay and penalty kill units are almost top 10 ranked in the NHL. Special teams is a crucial area for the Rangers tonight, because in most games teams will have atleast 2-3 powerplays per game. The Rangers must continue to kill of penalties efficiently as they recently have been, and they need to take advantage of powerplays given to them.
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The Rangers will also need a quick start to the game. Playing with the lead early on in the game is always key when facing a top team in the NHL. Especially with the way the Rangers have been managing defend and being able to keep the puck out of their net recently. But sitting on the lead is never a good thing to do, the Rangers will need to find ways to add to their lead and keeping up constant pressure on the Ducks all night. Therefore in tonight’s game, hoping Henrik Lundqvist stops the world when defending the lead could lead to an accident waiting to happen.
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Speed will also be a key component if the Rangers are going to come out with 2 points tonight. Though the Rangers have a different than last season I have come to realize that no team in the NHL can compete with the Rangers when they are at the top of their game, which includes using their speed. If you need an example take a look back at the New York Rangers 5-0 blowout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 11th 2014. That was a game the Rangers dominated play from start to finish by using their speed.
Players to Watch: For tonight’s game I would expect Rick Nash to have a big game tonight. After going goal-less in 3 consecutive games prior to Sundays game vs Buffalo, Nash scored a sweet looking goal on the powerplay. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nash scores a goal or two tonight. For the Anaheim Ducks i would look out for Corey Perry, who just like Nash has had a goal-less streak, but snapped it in his last game against the Nashville Predators in a 4-3 shootout win.