Blue Line Station
Fansided

New York Rangers go for double delight against the Islanders

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 13: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers takes the shot against Semyon Varlamov #40 of the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2020 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 13: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers takes the shot against Semyon Varlamov #40 of the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2020 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The New York Rangers .celebrate a goal
The New York Rangers .celebrate a goal /

About the Rangers

The New York Rangers are sitting on a 22-19-4 record after their big win over the Islanders on Monday, and they are very much within striking distance of a wild card spot.

That could all change of course with the Trade Deadline rapidly approaching, and there is a plethora of speculation surrounding this team.

Chris Kreider, who recorded his 15th goal of the year on Monday, is likely to be dealt to a contender while teams will no doubt enquire about the likes of Tony DeAngelo and Alexandar Georgiev.

If the Rangers do indeed pull the trigger on dealing away a number of stars, then that will all but end their playoff charge and focus will begin to switch to next year.

So, as a result, it is important that we get our kicks where we can and that’s where games like tonight come into play.

Rangers Head Coach David Quinn is a smart guy and he knows what these games mean to the fans, so there is no doubt that he’ll have this group of players ready to go to war yet again.

And there is a good omen heading into tonight in that the Blueshirts have earned a win in nine of their last 10 games against Metro Division opponents (9-1-0).

They have also recorded a whopping 44 goals over the last 11 games (since Dec. 22), which is the third-most in the NHL over that span.

As we saw on Monday, the Islanders simply can’t match that level of firepower and flexing their attacking muscles will be key for the Rangers to winning a second straight game against their rivals.

In terms of the lineup tonight, there isn’t expected to be too much upheaval while Alexandar Georgiev will go again against the Islanders after stopping 32 of 34 shots fired at him on Monday.

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