What five players should every fan keep an eye on in the first installment of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders rivalry in the 2016-2017 season?
Tonight is the night we have been waiting for since April 23rd; opening night! I hope you guys are as excited as I am to see the new–and potentially improved–New York Rangers squad hit the ice against their hated cross-town rivals, the New York Islanders.
Tonight’s game has many storylines attached to it. Dylan McIlrath will be a healthy scratch after having a solid preseason that was followed by reports that the team was trying to trade him before their final roster had to be in.
Josh Jooris, who many people pegged in the 4th line center spot will also be a healthy scratch in order for the hot hands of Brandon Pirri to skate on the fourth line.
Also, tonight will be Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey’s NHL debuts. If they can have even 1/4 of the game that Austun Matthews had last night for the Maple Leafs in his debut, then I’ll be very happy.
With those in mind, these are the top 5 players to watch in tonight’s matchup.
5. Jason Chimera
The 37-year-old Chimera will be playing in his first regular season contest after leaving the Washington Capitals in free agency. Chimera has been a Rangers killer throughout his long NHL career, whether it be via the scoresheet or the eye test. Chimera is slotted to skate with Andrew Ladd and John Tavares on the Islanders top line, so he will see a ton of ice time tonight. It should be interesting to see how he performs in a top line role, as opposed to a bottom six role that better suits his skill set.
4. Mika Zibanejad
You can make the argument that Zibanejad is too low on this list, but I put him here because, as you will see as this list continues, the rest of it is very much unknown. I think we all have an idea for what to expect from Zibanejad, but it should be interesting to see how dominant his line with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich meshes in a regular season game. I am expecting big things from Zibanejad this season, as you guys will find out in a post that we put out tomorrow (that’s called foreshadowing, my dear friends).
3. Adam Clendening
Well, in a major plot twist, Adam Clendening made the team. Not one person would have told you that Clendening would find himself in the starting lineup on opening night, I presume quite comfortably I may add, before the preseason started. The way he was able to perform with the puck on his stick during the preseason was very impressive. I am very intrigued with his prospects going into the season. If this signing pans out, you can call Jeff Gorton a genius.
2. Anthony Beauvillier
On my radio show–“The Whole Ten Yards” on 89.1 WYBF-FM in Radnor PA and online at WYBF.com (a little shameless self-promotion never hurt anybody, right?)- I was talking about the New York Islanders in my season preview episode. When I got to talking about their lines, I was surprised to see this kid in their top six.
Beauviller, the team’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft had an extremely impressive camp for the Islanders. It was so impressive that the team waived P.A. Parenteau (who was claimed by New Jersey) in order to make a spot for him. The 19-year-old now has a chance to impress the world in his NHL debut on arguably the biggest stage in hockey; the Madison Square Garden Ice.
1. Brandon Pirri
The Rangers announced today that Brandon Pirri will be centering the fourth line tonight. I have my reservations about Pirri and how he will fit on a fourth line. Though, the good thing about it is this; what this effectively does is give the Rangers 4 lines that can score. Not many teams can say that. Pirri will also see powerplay time on top of his fourth line duty. Hopefully, he can continue to display the hot hand that he had all preseason again tonight.
Next: Rangers games you can't miss in 2016
Who are you guys keeping an eye out for on the ice tonight? Let us know in the comment section below or by tweeting at us @BlueLineStation, or my personal Twitter, @JaW1224.