Blue Line Station
Fansided

Rangers face the Capitals without Brendan Lemieux, traded to L.A.

By Steve Paulus

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 25: Brendan Lemieux #48 of the New York Rangers looks on prior to the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 25: Brendan Lemieux #48 of the New York Rangers looks on prior to the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals and Kevin Rooney #17 of the New York Rangers battle for the puck (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals and Kevin Rooney #17 of the New York Rangers battle for the puck (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

About the Rangers

It appears that David Quinn will  be behind the bench after missing six games.  He wasn’t available to talk to the media and Kris Knoblauch wouldn’t commit to naming a goaltender against the Capitals.  It will most likely be Alexandar Georgeiv with Shesterkin needed a day off after two hectic games against the Flyers.  Georgiev and Keith Kinkaid split the starts against the Caps last week and they both played well.

With Lemieux not in the picture, the question is who will replace him, though Phil Di Giuseppe is the easy answer.  It’s very unlikely that they will throw Vitali Kravtsov into the fire in the next two games against the Capitals.  There are two games later in the week versus Buffalo and that makes much more sense for a debut.  If the Rangers drop their two games to Washington, it may mean no chance for a playoff berth as well, so the pressure will be off them and allow them to give Kravtsov the opportunity.

One implication of the Lemieux deal is the expansion draft requirements.  The Rangers must expose two forwards who are under contract and have played 27 games this season in the NHL.  They have the two in Kevin Rooney and Colin Blackwell,but they need Blackwell to play four more games.  If he is injured and doesn’t play in four more games, they will have to acquire an NHL player before the draft.

The Rangers have played very impressively against the Capitals, winning three of four.  The Caps have had the lead in the four games for less than five minutes and the Rangers have played a shut down defense against the Caps.  They’ll need that in these two games.

The game will be televised nationally on NBC.  The Rangers national television record in 1-5-1 though their last appearance was the 9-0 rout over the Flyers. They have fared okay in day games with a 3-2 record.

Projected lineup

20 Kreider– 93 Zibanejad – 89 Buchnevich
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 24 Kakko
13 Lafrenière – 72 Chytil- 12 Gauthier
33 Di Giuseppe- 17 Rooney  – 43 Blackwell

55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 8 Trouba
25 Hajek – 42 Smith

40 Georgiev
31 Shesterkin

Home/Analysis