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New York Rangers mission impossible: Beat the Golden Knights

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 16: Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2018 in New York City. The Golden Knights defeated the Rangers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 16: Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2018 in New York City. The Golden Knights defeated the Rangers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 04: Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers eyes the puck against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on January 4, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Rangers 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 04: Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers eyes the puck against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on January 4, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Rangers 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

What they need to do to win

  1. A rebound game from Georgiev – Alexandar Georgiev will be in net.  He shut out the Coyotes after relieving Henrik Lundqvist and that must have helped his psyche after he was roughed up in Colorado.  The Rangers really need a strong game from their rookie netminder.
  2. Scoring from their top lines – The Rangers really need the Zibanejad and Kreider lines to score. With Kevin Hayes out of the lineup again, the scoring from the top two lines has dried up.  It’s time for Mika Zibanejad to prove he is a first line center and he needs to make a difference.
  3. Listen to the coach –  The message from David Quinn has never wavered.  Be a tough team to play against, short crisp passes, take the shot instead of pass, get the puck out of trouble, don’t take stupid penalties and be strong mentally.  None of these things have happened over the last four games.  If the Rangers don’t follow this game plan it will be another blowout.  If they follow these instructions, the Rangers have a chance of winning. He stressed the mental part of the game at the team practice yesterday.
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