New York Rangers looking to get back in the win column
The New York Rangers are looking to bounce back and get back in the win column after dropping six of their last seven as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Tuesday night match up from the World’s Most Famous Arena.
On Sunday, the New York Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins 7-4 and will try to end their five game home stand on a high note when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in an Eastern Conference match-up.
Saying the Rangers are in a slump is an understatement. The Blueshirts have been outscored 29 to 19 in their last seven games and have fallen to seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. The Lightning, on the other hand, are currently in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Division. They sit in fifth place and have won four of their last seven and are coming off of a disappointing overtime lost against the Predators at home. Both teams are looking to get back into the win column.
The Rangers are having problems on offense, defense, and especially in the net. Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev have not gotten off to the start that they both expected to. Last game out, Lundqvist was pulled mercifully after allowing four goals in just the second period. Georgiev would allow another two in the third period in a game which saw the Bruins just overpower the Rangers in every which way possible. All the blame can’t be put on them though, as the Rangers defense has not been playing up to par recently. The Rangers are facing 36.9 shots per game, the most in the NHL, and have allowed 40 shots on three difference occasions. The bad defense has really been seen through the first 10 games of the season.
Henrik: “We need to understand how hard we have to play every night. It comes down to battles. That’s how you win in this league.” pic.twitter.com/KO16WlyQH2
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 28, 2019
On the bright side, in a game totally dominated by the Bruins, Micheal Haley and Brady Skjei were able to score their first goals of the season. Pavel Buchnevich came away with two points (one goal and one assist) and Chris Kreider also added a power play goal.
Who are the Tampa Bay Lightning?
The Tampa Bay Lightning won 62 games last season, had 128 points, scored 103 more goals then allowed, were awarded the President’s Trophy, and then ultimately got swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs last season. To say that the Lightning are out for blood is an understatement. They are a team that is built to win now. Unfortunately, they haven’t gotten off to the same hot start they did as last year and are just sitting there in the middle of the Eastern Conference.
Steven Stamkos leads the way for the Lightning with five goals and six assists for 11 points in the first ten games of the season. Even though Stamkos has not really blossomed this year so far, Nikita Kucherov has been right behind him and has helped tremendously in leading this Lightning team. The 2018-19 Hart Memorial Trophy Winner, has three goals and seven assists for 10 points. Stamkos and Kucherov could quite possibly be the most dynamic one-two combo in the NHL and that could quite possibly be on display in Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers.
In between the net, last seasons Vezina Trophy Winner, Andrei Vasilevskiy has had an impressive 2019-20 campaign so far. Although he has allowed 21 goals in seven games, he has a record of 5-2. He has been won his last three contests and has posted a very impressive combined save percentage of .927. He will be trouble against the Rangers, who have had a very hard time of just getting the puck in the back of the net.
The match up at Madison Square Garden will also mark the return once again for Ryan McDonagh (three points) and the first time the Blueshirts will see Kevin Shattenkirk (seven points) since his contract was bought out.
About the Rangers
The one bright side for this young New York Ranger team is the play of Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. Zibanejad leads the team with 11 points coming on four goals and seven assists, while the off-season free agent acquisition, Panarin, is second with nine points on five goals and four assists. Besides Jacob Trouba, Zibanejad and Panarin have logged the most time on the ice as well. Both of these men are playing exceptionally well and you can’t ask for more if you’re David Quinn.
On the flip side, this wasn’t the ideal start the Rangers were hoping for after acquiring Panarin and drafting Kappo Kakko. They have been playing poorly on all sides of the puck and unless there is an immediate spark, then the season might be over before it even begins.
The Rangers will be starting Georgiev in net and will have Lundqvist serve as his backup. Lundqvist did miss practice with an upper body injury on Monday but will be fine for Tuesday’s contest. Zibanejad, who left Sunday’s game against Boston, is considered day-to-day and has not been ruled out for Tuesday night quite yet. Jesper Fast is expected to play after missing last game with personal issues. Hopefully Zibanejad will be healthy enough to play, as the lack of depth down the middle could really hurt the Rangers against a Stanley Cup contending team. In lieu of that, the Blueshirts have called up Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren from Hartford.
Georgiev getting game-ready for tomorrow.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 28, 2019
He'll be in net vs. TBL. pic.twitter.com/Wd3BNYtUns
The History between the Lighting and Rangers
This will be the 102nd meeting between the two teams. The Lightning hold the advantage with an overall record of 48-42-5 and a 24-22-2 record in Madison Square Garden. The Lightning have also won six of the last seven match-ups dating back to 2017, including a three game sweep of the Blueshirts last season.
Most notable, these two teams faced off against each other in the 2014-15 Eastern Conference Finals. The series went seven games and saw the Lightning defeat the Rangers 2-0 at the Garden in the final match. That lost would mark the first time ever that the Rangers lost a playoff Game Seven on their own home ice.
Three Keys to the Game for the New York Rangers
Stop Nikita Kucherov
: Kucherov has led his team in points the last four seasons. Last season, he finished with 128 points (41 G & 87 A) which ultimately saw him take home the Hart Memorial Trophy as MVP. This season, he has 10 points in 10 games played, and a plus/minus of minus two. Defenders like,
, Brady Skjei,
and Jacob Trouba, will all have their hands full trying to contain one of the best wings in the game today.
Get Kappo Kakko on the Ice
: Kakko has publicly stated that hockey hasn’t been very much fun for him so far. In his first eight career games, the second overall pick only has two points and a plus/minus of -12. It wasn’t until this past Sunday, that Kakko saw more then 17 minutes of ice time. Kakko wants to play and with the Rangers desperate to get a win, this seems like the perfect opportunity to give the rookie more time on the ice.
Draw More Power Plays
: The Rangers have not gotten a whole lot of power play opportunities so far in the young season. They are 11th in the league with a 9.1 opposition penalty minutes per game, and they only have 33 power play opportunities this season. Although their amount of power play opportunities are very low, they have also played the least amount of games out of any team this season in the NHL. The Rangers need to capitalize on any opportunity they can get, and hopefully, that will be enough to carry them to a victory.
About the Game
The game is scheduled for 7:30pm and will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. WEPN 98.7 will carry the radio broadcast of the match. The next game after Tampa Bay will see the Blueshirts taking on the Predators in Nashville, this Saturday, as they embark on a quick one game road trip.
The game will also be celebrating First Responders Night in which the New York Rangers will be honoring some of the biggest heroes in New York City.