New York Rangers Look to Bounce Back Tonight vs. Blue Jackets

Tonight, the New York Rangers will look to bounce back from a shutout loss to Boston against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The first meeting against Columbus didn’t go so well, as the Rangers fell 5-2.  This time, they will be looking for a better result.  Here is a preview of tonight’s action:

Goaltending Matchup

For the Rangers, they will call on Henrik Lundqvist.  Since Cam Talbot got the start in Boston, Lundqvist is the obvious choice for tonight.  His last start didn’t go as well as he planned, as he was pulled going into the third against the Islanders after giving up three goals on 32 shots.  It wasn’t that he was bad, but head coach Alain Vigneault seemed to pull him in order to provide a spark for his team.  The last time he started against Columbus, he was great, only giving up one goal on 26 shots.  He will look to bounce back, both for himself and for the team.  He will need to be good, as he has a tough opponent some 180 feet away.

For the Blue Jackets, it has not been confirmed, but on would think that Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal for Columbus.  After a great month of December, “Bob” has been less than stellar in January, and his record of 1-4-0 shows that.  However, you must give credit where credit is due.  Bobrovsky is still one of the league’s best net minders, and he has the ability to stand on his head and steal a game.  After a game against Montreal in which he let up three goals in the third period, he will look for a strong showing tonight.  Since the Rangers are struggling to score goals as of late, they need to get Bobrovsky early.

Rick Nash Back in Columbus, Now an All-Star

For the second time this year, Rick Nash will return to Columbus to face his former team.  This time, he will be an alternate captain for Jonathan Toews’s All-Star team.  What would have been even better is if he was a captain of one of the teams, or if the other team captain Nick Foligno would have drafted Nash and blown all minds in Ohio.  Anyway, we know how this crowd will react.  However, will the boos be even louder this time?  Nash has undoubtedly proved himself to be an all-star, but the people of Columbus highly disagree.  Ever since he demanded a trade, the Blue Jackets’ fans have been very sour towards Nash.  Since he’s an all-star this time, their fans could boo a little more this time, which Nash should use to his advantage.  He played one of his best games of the season last year after coming back from his concussion, as he fired 11 shots on goal and even dropped the gloves with Matt Calvert.  So, no matter what, it will be fun to watch.

Players to Watch

For the Rangers, Ryan McDonagh has gone cold over the past few games.  He does not have a point since in his last five games, and he has looked sloppy in the defensive end.  While he is the Rangers captain, he sure doesn’t seem to be playing like it at the moment.  This is exactly the type of game that he could use to turn it around, especially going against Columbus’s top players who are lighting it up at the moment.  Look for McDonagh to shut down the top line of Columbus, and even contribute on the offensive side as well.

For the Blue Jackets, Nick Foligno is having one heck of a season.  He has 41 points in 40 games, and he is even third in the league in power play goals with nine.  To go along with that, he is a captain of one of the all star teams.  While he doesn’t take a whole tone of shots, when he does, he makes them count.  With Scott Hartnell and Ryan Johansen on his line, there is no sign of Foligno slowing down any time soon.  The Rangers will need to keep an extra close eye on him.