The New York Rangers take on a slumping Montreal Canadiens team in the second of back-to-back games after stealing a win in Columbus.
It’s time to play the New York Rangers guessing game. Which team will show up tonight? If it’s the squad that allowed 85 shot attempts last night in Columbus while taking only 39, it won’t be pretty. They are playing a Canadiens team that attempted a season high 90 shots attempts against them just two weeks ago.
It’s perplexing. We should be encouraged by a team that has gone 6-2-1 in its last nine games. It’s a team that has not lost on the road in regulation in four games. It’s a team that has allowed only three power play goals the last 28 times shorthanded.
However, after last night’s effort against Columbus, you have to have some doubts about the potential for success. Coach David Quinn was blunt in his assessment during a radio interview. “There’s too much BS in our game when we’re struggling. Too much BS in our game. It’s not that straight line, attack mode…a lot of guys already have an idea of what they’re gonna do before they get the puck as opposed to letting the play dictate what is in front of them and what they’re gonna do. ”
Alexandar Georgiev gets the start tonight. Quinn indicated that it was because of his performance last night and not because Henrik Lundqvist is under the weather. The Rangers didn’t call anyone up from Hartford to serve as a backup so Lundqvist must be healthy enough to play if needed.
Boo Nieves was sent down to Hartford with Greg McKegg back in the lineup. Marc Staal will also play, replacing Libor Hajek who suffered a sprained knee in the game last night. The Rangers announced he will miss 3-4 weeks with the injury.
The Montreal Canadiens are reeling. They’ve won one game in their last ten. They’ve dropped from an Atlantic Division powerhouse into the middle of the pack. In other words, they are ripe for the taking and that always spells trouble for the New York Rangers. Of course, that’s depending on which New York Rangers team will show up tonight.
Projected Lineups
New York Rangers
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 20 Kreider
48 Lemieux – 93 Zibanejad – 24 Kakko
17 Fast – 72 Chytil – 89 Buchnevich
14 McKegg – 21 Howden – 42 Smith
76 Skjei – 8 Trouba
55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
18 Staal – 77 DeAngelo
40 Georgiev
30 Lundqvist
Montreal Canadiens
90 Tomas Tatar – 24 Phillip Danault – 11 Brendan Gallagher
21 Nick Cousins – 13 Max Domi – 54 Charles Hudon
62 Artturi Lehkonen – 14 Nick Suzuki – 40 Joel Armia
63 Matthew Peca – 44 Nate Thompson – 43 Jordan Weal
8 Ben Chiarot – 6 Shea Weber
17 Brett Kulak – 26 Jeff Petry
64 Otto Leskinen – 20 Cale Fleury
31 Carey Price
30 Cayden Primeau
Join the live conversation!
The Rangers haven’t lost the second game of back-to-back games in regulation this season. If they play like they did in Columbus, there will be a lot to talk about.
The live thread is open….now.
The game will be televised on the MSG Network and the radio call is on ESPN Radio 98.7 FM.