It’s back to the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden for the New York Rangers and they hope to turn the tables on the Philadelphia Flyers and get even for Friday’s loss.
It will be home, sweet home for the New York Rangers who have played only two games at Madison Square Garden over the last 20 days. They take on the Philadelphia Flyers in yet another crucial game as they battle for a playoff spot. They will be looking for revenge after the 5-2 spanking the road weary Blueshirts took from the well rested Flyers.
Of course, the main storyline will be how they respond to the loss of Chris Kreider, out with a fractured foot. The second will be who David Quinn will choose to start in goal. Alexandar Georgiev has been the starter ever since Igor Shesterkin was hurt and didn’t play badly in Philadelphia. Henrik Lundqvist hasn’t started since February 3, a loss to Dallas. If there is anytime for Lundqvist to get some work it would be today, but the odds are we will see Georgiev.
With a noon start time, there won’t be many questions answered about the lineup or starting goalie before the teams take to the ice for the pre-game warmups. So far, the Blueshirts haven’t made any moves to bolster the roster without Kreider so look for Greg McKegg to return to the lineup. The question is who will replace Kreider on the Zibanejad line.
While the final score Friday was lopsided, it’s important to remember that it was a 1-1 game with seven minutes left in the second period. When the Flyers got their go ahead goal they stepped on the gas and the Rangers looked like the more tired team. You can be sure that they will be looking to get even with Philadelphia after losing their first two games this season to them by a combined score of 10-3.