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New York Rangers: Going for two in a row in Detroit

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 31: Filip Chytil #72 and the New York Rangers celebrate after defeating the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 31: Filip Chytil #72 and the New York Rangers celebrate after defeating the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 31: Jimmy Howard #35 of the Detroit Red Wings makes the save as Jesper Fast #17 of the New York Rangers looks for the rebound at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2020 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Red Wings 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 31: Jimmy Howard #35 of the Detroit Red Wings makes the save as Jesper Fast #17 of the New York Rangers looks for the rebound at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2020 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Red Wings 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

About the Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist will be in the net for the Blueshirts.  It will be his first appearance since a 5-2 loss in St. Louis on January 11.  That’s 20 days between starts.  That’s the longest break in between starts for Lundqvist when he has been healthy in his career.   Lundqvist thrives under a heavy workload and despite the busy schedule, the three goalie system will cut into that and already has. He’s had one start in 29 days.

He’s lost three of his last four starts and hasn’t allowed fewer than three goals since a 3-1  win over Anaheim on December 22.   How he responds  to the lighter workload will  be one of the things to watch the rest of the season.

Last night was a night for experimentation.  Coach David Quinn shuffled his defensive combinations, teaming Ryan Lindgren with Jacob Trouba in search of a shutdown defensive pair and the right partner for his $8 million blueliner.   That worked fine except for the fact that Brady Skjei was then teamed with Adam Fox.   Two Red Wings goals with Skjei-Fox on the ice and it was back to the old pairings.  If the Rangers are having an issue finding a place for Brady Skjei to play, that is a problem.

Finding the right defense pairings is crucial for the Blueshirts.  David Quinn indicated he is willing to keep experimenting, but this game is the last “easy” game for them for a while. He needs to find that shutdown top defensive duo when they take on the boatload of playoff contenders this month.

On offense Brendan Lemieux was moved up to the third line with Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko.  The trio had some marvelous opportunities early in the game, but by the third period Lemieux had swapped with Brett Howden and was back on the fourth line.   Quinn’s explanation was about conditioning. “Lemieux had been hurt for a while and we had the nine day break.  He was gassed as the period went on in the first…I don’t know if he’s quite ready for all those minutes he’s probably going to play.  ”

Meanwhile, it was the Artemi Panarin, Mika ZIbanejad show as the team’s best players both scored.  Chris Kreider increased his trade value with a goal and Pavel Buchnevich fulfilled the coaching staff’s faith in him by scoring the Blueshirts’ first goal.

Speaking of Buchnevich, his availability at the deadline was the subject of some speculation in the New York Post and that should get the fanbase talking.

The Rangers have a 10-11-2 road record this season and head into tonight’s game having lost four of their last five games away from the Garden.  Considering the opposition, it’s a great opportunity to get back to a .500 record on the road.

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