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Lineup decisions looming for the Nashville game – Updated

By Steve Paulus

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 13: Head coach David Quinn of the New York Rangers yells from the bench during their NHL game against the New York Rangers at Rogers Arena March 13, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 4-1. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 13: Head coach David Quinn of the New York Rangers yells from the bench during their NHL game against the New York Rangers at Rogers Arena March 13, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 4-1. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEWARK, NJ- OCTOBER 17: Head Coach David Quinn of the New York Rangers looks on during the game against the New Jersey Devils on October 17, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ- OCTOBER 17: Head Coach David Quinn of the New York Rangers looks on during the game against the New Jersey Devils on October 17, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Update: The word is that Mika Zibanejad will not play on Saturday and the lineup will be the same that played in the Tampa game.  Georgiev will get the start in goal for the second straight game.

New York Rangers Coach David Quinn will have some tough decisions to make before Saturday’s matinee versus the Nashville Predators.  So far, he’s given no clues about what his choices will be.

Coming off Tuesday’s big win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the New  York Rangers will be facing some tough lineup calls.  Injuries may make those decisions easier, but there were no revelations in Coach Quinn’s post-practice press briefing on Wednesday.

It’s usually an easy call for a coach after a win.  Just keep the same lineup for the next game. There’s no controversy, it rewards players for a job well done and once the team loses, the coach can restore players to the lineup.  Not so in this case.

Lindgren for Staal

Quinn has acknowledged that his toughest call was benching Marc Staal for the first time in his career.  He replaced the veteran with rookie Ryan Lindgren, just called up from Hartford. Paired with Adam Fox, Lindgren played a dynamic, gritty game and notched his first NHL point as well.  He assisted on Fox’s first NHL goal with an excellent  pass to Chris Kreider, springing  him for a two on one.

When asked about playing  three 21-year old defensemen, Quinn’s answer was revealing.   “One of the things we like about these guys…they play with passion  they compete.  There’s an excitement to their game and they don‘t let mistakes bother them.  Looking at Hajek. I think Hajek’s game continues to improve.  He had a really good night the other night against Tampa.  Fox has been good from the get-go. Obviously Lindgren stepped in and did a really good job.”

He warned of young players having “peaks and valleys,” but it’s clear that Lindgren did nothing that would warrant his sitting the next game out.

As for benching  Staal, Quinn addressed it after the game:”It was something I felt was needed…the best thing for our team right now.  We want to run a meritocracy…the guys who play well will continue to play.  I’ve got a lot of faith he will play to his capabilities and will be in the lineup consistently.”

It looks like another start for Lindgren.  The forward lines are a bigger question.

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