Storylines to follow
Zuccarello out, Buchnevich to play the first line
Mats Zuccarello won’t make the road trip and is officially out with a groin strain. Pavel Buchnveich, who scored last game against the Canadians, will fill in his spot next to Mika Zibanejad and Vladislav Namestnikov.
Buchnevich was healthy-scratched for two games before returning against the Sabres on November 4th. Despite having six points in 12 games, Buchnevich has been put in the dog house by head coach David Quinn for not giving the amount of effort he requires.
The move up to the first line alongside Zibanejad and Namestnikov should give the Russian native amble opportunities to show Quinn he belongs on the ice, but if he has a rough road trip in Detroit and Columbus, Buchnevich could see himself back in the suits when they return home for Vancouver.
Howden back
If not for the historic start to the year from Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson, there’s good chance Howden would be leading the Calder race for rookie of the year. Prior to being held out of the match against the Habs, Howden stood alone for second in the NHL among rookies with nine points. Now just a game later, he’s tied for runner-up with Colin White of the Ottawa Senators and Olof Lindblom of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Barring an unforeseen injury, Pettersson is likely to capture the Calder Memorial Trophy, but Howden’s contributions cannot be overlooked. With three goals and six assists, the Calgary native sits at fourth in points on the Rangers only behind veterans Zibanejad, Kreider and Zuccarello.
Andersson & Chytil together again?
Once Howden was officially ruled out against the Canadiens the Rangers’ front office called up Andersson from Hartford. With Howden back and Zuccarello out, the Swedish native has kept his spot for now and was going through drills with Chytil and Lettieritteiri on his wings.
Despite both rookies being drafted as centers, Quinn has used Chytil on the wing numerous times this year already, and it looks like he’ll move him over again to play with Andersson. The issue then becomes how much playing time they’ll get as the fourth line.
If the Rangers can avoid the box and play consistent 5-on-5 there’s no reason the head coach wouldn’t roll all four lines, but if their original six matchup gets chippy look for some line shuffling early on.
