The New York Rangers go for three in a row, hosting the tough Dallas Stars at Madison Square Garden as they start a key four game home stand.
Fresh from his first shutout in over two years, Henrik Lundqvist will get the nod in net as the New York Rangers take on the Dallas Stars, one of the many teams fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Chris Kreider’s availability is still up in the air with Coach David Quinn saying it will be a gametime decision after the forward participated in an abbreviated practice this morning. He took a nasty knee to the head in the Detroit game Saturday, but the Blueshirts have downplayed the severty of the injury.
Dallas will be a touch challenge for the Blueshirts. They are in third place in the Central Division and are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. If the teams follow the script that they have written all season, this will be a low scoring game. At any rate, it’s a meeting of the potent Ranger defense playing against a stingy Dallas defense.
The Ranger defense pairings will be the same as Saturday night with Jacob Trouba teamed with Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox paired with Brady Skjei. Coach Quinn spoke about Sjkei after practice today. “I really like Brady’s game….this is the best he’s played since I’ve been here. I love the singlemindedness he’s approaching every game and there is a clarity on how he wants to play…one of the things I like is he’s coming in every night thinking I’m gonna play good defense, I’m gonna have good gaps, I’m gonna have a good stick and he’s a lot more physical lately.”
Projected lineups
New York Rangers
20 Kreider* — 93 Zibanejad – 89 Buchnevich
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 17 Fast
21 Howden – 72 Chytil – 24 Kakko
48 Lemieux – 14 McKegg – 42 Smith
*Gametime decision
55 Lindgren – 8 Trouba
76 Skjei – 23 Fox
18 Staal – 77 DeAngelo
30 Lundqvist
40 Georgiev
Dallas Stars
14 Jamie Benn – 24 Roope Hintz – 91 Tyler Seguin
13 Mattias Janmark – 16 Joe Pavelski – 47 Alexander Radulov
11 Andrew Cogliano – 12 Radek Faksa – 15 Blake Comeau
34 Denis Gurianov – 18 Jason Dickinson – 10 Corey Perry
23 Esa Lindell – 3 John Klingberg
2 Jamie Oleksiak – 4 Miro Heiskanen
5 Andrej Sekera – 28 Stephen Johns
35 Anton Khudobin
30 Ben Bishop
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Gametime is 7pm. Television coverage will be on MSG Plus and radio will be on ESPN 1050AM.