Breaking news: Gallant on, Panarin off COVID protocol

As the New York Rangers prepare for their game Monday night in Los Angeles, the COVID protocol reared its ugly head again.  The good news was Artemi Panarin cleared the protocol and joined the team for practice today and will play against the Kings.

The bad news is Gerard Gallant has entered the protocol.

Hartford coach Kris Knoblauch will take over as head coach, the second time he has had to fill in that role. Last season he had to sub for David Quinn when the Ranger coach was out with COVID.   Knoblauch was in charge for six games with the Rangers going 4-2 including that 9-0 thrashing of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The other roster news is that Patrik Nemeth is back with the team from his non-COVID issue.

That means that the Rangers are back to carrying 13 forwards and eight defensemen on the active roster.

There’s no doubt that Knoblauch will be in close contact with Gallant regarding the lineup for the Kings game.  Here are the some lineup questions:

1. With Panarin back on the line with Strome, does Barclay Goodrow remain there or will Alexis Lafrenière get a shot to stay on the top six though on the off wing?  Gallant had indicated that this was a possiblity when Panarin returned.
2. Either  Morgan Barron, Jonny Brodzinski or Tim Gettinger will not play and there are reasons to keep each of the in the lineup.  Barron had an assist and won seven of eight faceoffs.  Brodzinski played an active game and pushed the offense.  Gettinger threw some heavy checks and his screen helped Ryan Lindgren score his first goal of the Anaheim game.  Brodzinski was going to sit until Reaves made the COVID list so will he be the one who doesn’t play?
3. Does Nemeth go right back into the lineup and if so, who does he replace?   Despite his awful giveaway that led to a Ducks goal, there is no indication that K’Andre Miller is going to sit.  While Jarred Tinordi is the easy answer, he was also the hero of the Anaheim win, but it will have to be Tinordi if Gallant wants to keep Nils Lundkvist in the lineup.  The young Swede did nothing to deserve to sit, so the real question is whether Nemeth will go right back in after not playing for 10 days?
4. With Barron, Goodrow, Chytil and Rooney possibly on the bottom six, they are overloaded with  centers.  Will they elect to keep Chytil on the wing with Rooney and Goodrow as the third line?  A fourth line of Barron, Gettinger and Greg McKegg has possiblities.

About the Kings

The Los Angeles Kings got Alex Turcotte and Alex Iafallo off COVID protocol, but still have Christian Wolanin and Carl Grundstrom on the list.   Iafallo is a key piece as he is third on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 20 points.

The Kings pitched a 4-0 shutout at home over the Detroit Red Wings.  The Kings outshot the Red Wings 27-2 in the first period, tying the largest shots differential in a period in the NHL this season.  They are making a push for a playoff position and have moved past Edmonton into the final wild card spot in the West with a record of 17-13-5.  They’ve gone 7-3-1 over their last 11 games to move up in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Rangers went 3-1 without Panarin in the lineup, scoring 13 goals in the four games.  Despite the success, it’s good to have him back.

The power play was a little off, scoring three goals on 15 man advantages and they have been shut out the last two games.  We’ll see if Zibanejad’s success playing Panarin’s normal position on the PP will affect how the Rangers deploy in the offensive zone.