The NHL season starts tonight, so everyone has an extra day to get ready to kick things off for the New York Rangers. Here’s everything you need to keep in mind.
1. Following an early scare last week, the rumored lineup for opening night looks much better than initially reported
The expectation is that the lineup will consist of:
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
Mats Zuccarello- Kevin Hayes- Jimmy Vesey
Ryan Spooner- Filip Chytil- Jesper Fast
Vladislav Namestnikov- Brett Howden- Vinni Lettieri
Brady Skjei-Adam McQuaid
Brendan Smith-Kevin Shattenkirk
Marc Staal- Neal Pionk
Henrik Lundqvist
Alexandar Georgiev
This is a marked improvement from the Frankenstein monster of a lineup that featured Cody McLeod on a line with Hayes and Vesey.
2. If you’re in a late drafting fantasy hockey league, here’s everything you need to know about viable Rangers for your team
Buy high on the members of the KZB line, they should score a lot of goals and create lots of chances
3. While Tony DeAngelo is not expected to dress on opening night, for better or worse, the Rangers need to get something out of the New Jersey native.
The Rangers invested significant capital in a highly touted prospect with a major hole in his game and did so without a coach that could reach him. Nick Zararis explains the rock and the hard place situation
4. To put a bow on the preseason, read the stock market report on the final week of September
The obvious winner was Brett Howden who forced his way onto the team through a strong preseason in a position the team needed
Rangers news from around the web
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post covers how Henrik Lundqvist expects to return to his old ways through a more consistent and balanced approach
- Refresh your memory on the Artemi Panarin situation and how the Russian forward has a desire to “play near water.”
- The Rangers are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Stanley Cup Champion team before the game on February 8th against the Carolina Hurricanes
- To build excitement for the start of the regular season, the Rangers had the team’s rookies, Filip Chytil, Brett Howden and Alexandar Georgiev man the box office at the Garden and meet fans on Monday, October 1
- Hear directly from David Quinn on where he thinks the team’s leadership is at, Brett Howden’s preseason and Henrik Lundqvist
Bluelinestation will have everything you need tomorrow on gameday, live coverage of the game against Nashville on Twitter and analysis on Friday.