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Rangers-Bruins previews: Can they do it again?

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 26: (l-r) Colin Blackwell #43, Chris Kreider #20 and Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers celebrate Kreider's second period goal against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on February 26, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 26: (l-r) Colin Blackwell #43, Chris Kreider #20 and Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers celebrate Kreider's second period goal against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on February 26, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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: Jack Johnson #27 and Libor Hajek #25 of the New York Rangers hold up Trent Frederic #11 of the Boston Bruins(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
: Jack Johnson #27 and Libor Hajek #25 of the New York Rangers hold up Trent Frederic #11 of the Boston Bruins(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

3 keys to winning

  1. Play physical – The Rangers set the tone by playing their most physical game of the season. It was smart physicality as they didn’t take runs, but used tough body checking to keep the Bruins off balance the whole game.
  2. Win the special teams battle – The Bruins are one of the best at special teams in the NHL and the Rangers turned that upside down on Friday night.  Can lightning strike twice?  It’s much better for the Rangers to not tempt fate. They need to stay out of the penalty box and if they have the man advantage, they need to shoot the puck.  They did it early, but late in the game they reverted to their pass-happy power play.
  3. Discipline – The Rangers were the team that kept its cool on Friday night. Brendan Lemieux took one undisciplined penalty (a reputation call), but it was Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka who were the ones lost it. If Friday was any sample, the Rangers heavy hitting got under the skin of the Bruins and took them off their game. It all started on the first shift of the game when Brad Marchand tried to pick a fight with Adam Fox who smartly just skated away.

Kravtsov news

The KHL season ended and Vitali Kravtsov’s Traktor team will be in the playoffs.  They being play on March 3 against Salavat Yulaev, ranked fourth in the East with Traktor the fifth seed.  Kravtsov finished the season with 16 goals and 24 points in 49 games. He averaged 16:59 minutes of ice time per game and he finished with a  plus/minus of +8.

The interesting factor is that if Traktor is eliminated in swept his KHL season will be over on March 9.  The last date for the first round is March 15.  Of course, they could move on to the second round.

As soon as Traktor is eliminated, Kravtsov is expected to head to North America to resume his career with the Rangers.  The Blueshirts will have to navigate some salary cap issues if they expect to add him to the major league roster, while a stint in Hartford is also a possibility.

Defenseman Yegor Rykov’s CSKA team is also in the playoffs, though they are one of the powerhouses in the KHL and are expected to go deep.

Adding a skilled forward like Kravtsov is enticing, but there is always the question of his development and what is best for him.  Last season was not a good experience for the first rounder as he didn’t make the Rangers out of training camp and had a bad experience with the Wolf Pack before returning to Russia.

East Division

Scores

Penguins 4, Islanders 3 (OT)
Flyers 3, Sabres 0
Capitals 5, Devils 2

Standings

  1. Boston           18   11-5-2     24 points
  2. Washington  20   11-5-4     26 points
  3. Islanders        19   10-6-4    24 points
  4. Philadelphia  17  10-4-3     23 points
  5. Pittsburgh     18   11-7-1     23 points
  6. Rangers          18    7-8-3     17 points
  7. New Jersey     16    7-7-2     16 points
  8. Buffalo            18    6-9-3     15 points

About the game

The game will be a noon start and will be televised on NBC.   The radiocast will be heard on ESPN 98.7FM.

Be sure and join the live conversation here at Blue Line Station and talk about the game with your fellow Ranger fans.  The live thread should be up just before game time.

light. Related Story. Why being in the East is a good thing

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