The New York Rangers got some very good news late this afternoon. K’Andre Miller is off the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list and will play tonight against the Boston Bruins. The question is who will come out of the lineup on defense for the Rangers. It’s mostly likely to be Jack Johnson as Brendan Smith has played on the right side of Miller previously.
Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko are both out with Kakko still on the COVID list.
The Bruins are missing David Krejci, Matt Grzelcyk and Jeremy Lauzon. There may be two ex-Rangers on the Bruins’ blue line with John Moore definitely playing and Steven Kampfer a game time decision.
It will be Tukka Rask vs. Alexandar Georgiev, a rematch of the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Bruins took that game in overtime, 3-2.
Fans in the Garden
What makes this game very interesting will be the presence of about 2,000 fans in Madison Square Garden, the first time that fans have been allowed in for hockey game in almost a year. The Knicks played their first game with fans in the stands on Tuesday and fell short against the Golden State Warriors.
The Knicks held a pregame ceremony with Julius Randle welcoming the fans back to the arena. There’s no word on what the Rangers are planning.
Soon. 👀 pic.twitter.com/BrIzZJ5Fj0
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 26, 2021
No matter what, it will be great to hear real crowd noise instead of canned recordings. We’ll be listening carefully for the first “Potvin sucks” and who want to place a bet on when Sam Rosen will say for the first time ,”The fans have started a ‘A Lets Go Rangers’ chant .” Probably before the game ever starts.
Let’s how the Rangers can do what the Knicks couldn’t.
Projected lineups
New York Rangers
20 Kreider– 93 Zibanejad – 43 Blackwell
13 Lafrenière – 16 Strome – 89 Buchnevich
33 Di Giuseppe– 17 Rooney – 12 Gauthier
48 Lemieux – 21 Howden– 76 Brodzinski
55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 42 Smith
25 Hajek – 22 Bitetto
40 Georgiev
31 Shesterkin
Boston Bruins
63 Brad Marchand – 37 Patrice Bergeron – 88 David Pastrnak
21 Nick Ritchie – 13 Charlie Coyle – 12 Craig Smith
10 Anders Bjork -23 Jack Studnicka – 74 Jake DeBrusk
11 Trent Frederic – 52 Sean Kuraly – 14 Chris Wagner
58 Urho Vaakanainen – 73 Charlie McAvoy
67 Jackub Zboril – 25 Brandon Carlo
27 John Moore – 75 Connor Clifton or 44 Steven Kampfer
40 Tukka Rask
41 Jaroslav Halak
Join the live conversation!
The game starts at 7pm and will be televised nationally on the MSG Network. It, the only time to hear Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti in a three game stretch as Sunday’s game will be on national television. The radiocast is on ESPN 98.7FM.
Join us at Blue Line Station for our live conversation during the game. The live thread is open now.