The New York Rangers look to end a four game home stand on a positive note as they face the Los Angeles Kings with Igor Shesterkin in net.
David Quinn has said that he will start the New York Rangers goaltender who is hot and right now, Shesterkin is the hottest netminder on the team. He has won four of his five starts with a .922 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.61. So, Shesterkin gets the nod as the team tries to rebound from a bad loss to the Buffalo Sabres Friday night.
That means that the next possible start for Henrik Lundqvist will be Tuesday in Winnipeg, over a week since his start against Dallas on Monday. So much for the idea of any kind of rotation, the hot hand will rule.
For the Kings, Jonathan Quick will be in goal. He’s been solid against the Rangers with a 7-4 lifetime record with a 2.37 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. It’s the four wins in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals that all Ranger fans remember most.
The Rangers lost ground in their playoff race on Saturday with Carolina’s come from behind win over Vegas. A win against Buffalo for the Blueshirts would have been their third in a row and unless they can put together a long winning streak, their playoff dreams are just a fantasy.
This looks like a meeting of two teams that will be in wholesale sell mode in two weeks. This could be the last time we see Tyler Toffoli and Alex Martinez in Kings uniforms.
Projected lineups
New York Rangers
20 Kreider – 93 Zibanejad –89 Buchnevich
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 17 Fast
33 Di Giuseppe – 72 Chytil – 24 Kakko
48 Lemieux – 14 McKegg – 21 Howden
76 Skjei – 8 Trouba
55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
18 Staal – 77 DeAngelo
31 Shesterkin
30 Lundqvist
Los Angeles Kings
19 Alex Iafallo – 11 Anze Kopitar – 23 Dustin Brown
9 Adrian Kempe – 77 Jeff Carter – 73 Tyler Toffoli
12 Trevor Moore – 46 Lizotte – 51 Austin Wagner
38 Carl Grundstrom – 10 Michael Amadio – 22 Trevor Lewis
6 Joakim Ryan – 8 Drew Doughty
27 Alec Martinez – 26 Sean Walker
15 Ben Hutton – 3 Matt Roy
32 Jonathan Quick
40 Calvin Petersen
Join the live conversation
Who will win best actor? What will win best picture? Who will score for the Rangers? What line will Kaapo Kakko play on? There’s always a lot to talk about during a Ranger game. Tonight is no exception.
The live thread is open now.
Gametime is early, 6pm, to avoid competing with the Academy Awards. Television coverage is on MSG Plus and the radio call will be on ESPN Radio 1050 AM.