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New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Two surprise teams compete

By Steve Paulus

COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 5: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates against against the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 5, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 5: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates against against the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 5, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Sonny Milano #22 of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers
Sonny Milano #22 of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers /

About the Rangers

What can we say about the Rangers?  They’ve won two pretty special games against the Islanders. The first game, at Madison Square Garden, was one of their most complete games of the season.  The game on Thursday was the complete opposite and they were lucky to escape with a win.

This game is a crucial one for the Rangers, a fact that David Quinn acknowledged after practice on Saturday.  “In a lot of ways, this a lot bigger than anything we’ve done up to this point….this game is as big as anything we’ve played,  if not bigger….it’s  a four point game, there’s a lot of teams in this league playing playoff hockey based on the standings and schedule, we’re one of them.”

Igor Shesterkin is getting the start for the Rangers.  Quinn said that he’s been playing well and deserves the start.  It does mean that Henrik Lundqvist has had only one start in 22 days and it’s likely that Alexandar Georgiev will get the start against the Islanders on Tuesday.

Lundqvist acknowledged the situation in an interview with the New York Post.   He likened his situation to that of Eli Manning.  Quinn said that he has discussed the situation with Lundqvist and they’ve been “good conversations.”

The question is how Lundqvist will react the longer this continues.  If Georgiev is not traded and if both he and Shesterkin play well,it will be tough for Lundqvist to get playing time and that will be hard on him.

Artemi Panarin has an injury but will play.  Quinn called it a “little upper body thing.”   Brendan Lemieux is very close to returning, but will not play.  That means it will probably be the exact same lineup for the Rangers that faced the Islanders, with Micheal Haley in the lineup and Phil Di Giuseppe a healthy scratch.

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