Rangers vs. Sabres: Join the live conversation!

It’s another key game in this young season for this young New York Rangers squad. They need to get back on the winning track after losing three in a row. They will be without center Flip Chytil, out for four to six weeks with an upper body injury suffered in the loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Smart money has Brett Howden moving up to the third line to center for Kaapo Kakko and Phil Di Giuseppe.   If David Quinn wants to leave his top two lines intact to see if they can get going as is, the only question is who plays on the fourth line out of Colin Blackwell, Kevin Rooney, Brendan Lemieux and Julien Gauthier.

Before the game, Quinn would not talk about changes except to say that there would be changes.

Based on the last game, Blackwell is a lock and Rooney didn’t do anything to keep him out of the lineup so that leaves a decision between Lemieux and Gauthier.  Blackwell and Gauthier are righthanded while Lemieux and Rooney shoot left.

This will be the first trip to Buffalo in almost two years. Last season, their only trip to Buffalo was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Their last visit was a 6-2 win on February 15, 2019.

The Sabres have Zemgus Girgensons out long term after hamstring surgery and Henri Jokiharju has a minor injury and will be a game time decision. If he cannot play, it will be Matt Irwin in the lineup.  Chytil is the only injured Ranger.

Projected starting lineups

New York Rangers (this will change)
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 89 Buchnevich
13 Lafrenière– 93 Zibanejad – 20 Kreider
33  Di Giuseppe –  14 Howden – 24 Kakko
48  Lemieux – 17 Rooney–   43 Blackwell

55 Lindgren  – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 8 Trouba
42 Smith-77 DeAngelo

40 Georgiev
31 Shesterkin

Buffalo Sabres

4 Taylor Hall – 9 Jack Eichel – 23 Sam Reinhart
68 Victor Olofsson  -12 Eric Staal  – 42 Dylan Cozens
13 Tobias Rieder – 20 Cody Eakin  – 21 Kyle Okposo
53 Jeff Skinner – 27 Curtis Lazar –  38 Riley Sheahan

19 Jake McCabe – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
62 Brandon Montour – 10 Henri Jokiharju or 44 Matt Irwin
26 Rasmus Dahlen – 33 Colin Miller

35 Linus Ullmark
40 Carter Hutton

Join the live conversation!

Blue Line Station’s live thread is open now.   We have had some lively conversations during this frustrating start to the season.  The live thread is in the comments  section below, feel free to join in.

You can watch the game on the MSG Network and the radio call will be on WEPN 1050  AM.

Puck drop is 7pm.