Rangers vs Devils: Join the live conversation

Only two more preseason games to go and it’s decision-making time for Gerard Gallant.  It’s the last opportunity for some players to earn a job with the varsity, but for most of the New York Rangers, it’s a tune-up for the regular season opener in a week.

Last Friday, the Devils embarrassed the Rangers, beating them 7-1 in Newark. While most of the players in the Blueshirts’ lineup did not play last week, you  can bet that the coach is still smarting from that spanking and the players have something to prove.  Not only that, the Devils have a perfect 4-0 record in the preseason and the Rangers would love to end that streak.

The projected starting lineups

Here’s what the starting lineup looks for the Rangers:

13 Lafrenière – 97 Zibanejad – 20 Kreider
10 Panarin – 12 Strome – 24 Kakko
21 Goodrow – 72 Chytil – 15 Gauthier
91 Blais – 17 Rooney – 75 Reaves

55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 8 Trouba
5 Tinordi  – 64 Lundkvist

This could be the deciding game for both Tinordi and Lundkvist as we can expect to see Libor Hajek and Zac Jones in the preseason finale on Saturday.  Gauthier is getting the start with Kravtov still not fully recovered from his lower body injury. Kravtsov was in full form in practice, but gets to sit this one out.

In post practice comments, Gallant indicated that Kravtsov will have a role in the top nine, though he did say that Gauthier has “played well” and that could change things.  About Gauthier, he said “He went to the net, drove to the net…definitely had a good camp.”

The question is whether Morgan Barron or Dryden Hunt will play on Saturday of if Gallant has made up his mind regarding the 13 forwards the team will carry.  If Gauthier has a good game tonight, it maybe impossible to send him down.  That could mean the team could start the season with two extra forwards and the maximum 23 players.

The rest of the lineup is made up of regular starters and we will see the newly reconfigured Zibanejad line with Lafrenière on the left side and Kreider playng the off wing.  Igor Shesterkin is supposed to get the start and will play the entire game, meaning Alexandar Georgiev gets the final preseason game.

The Devils lineup

The Devils are still tinkering with their roster and we will be seeing  number of players who may not make the team when the season starts.  In one interesting note, former Rangers prospect Mason Geertsen will be in the lineup for the Devils after they claimed him on waivers.  Just one week after he was picking fights with the Devils as a Ranger, he will be doing the same to the Blueshirts.

Join the live conversation

As always during games, Blue Line Station will be hosting a live in-game conversation using the comments feature below. Feel free to watch the game and talk about it with your fellow Ranger fans. We’ve had some issues with the comments refreshing and are working on that, so please bear with us.  One workaround is to change how the comments sort from “newest” to “oldest” and back to “newest” again.

Bugs aside, it’s always fun to interact with other Rangers fans during the games and after now that we are going to see the “real” team in action, there should be something to talk about.

The live thread is open now!