Rangers vs Bruins: It’s getting real with one week to go

Only two more preseason games for the New York Rangers and decisions loom.  We should be seeing close to what will be the regular lineup at Madison Square Garden tonight.  For most of the team, it’s a chance to get familiar with new linemates or get reacquainted with old ones. For a handful of players, these two games present the last chance to impress the coaches and make the team.

In a programming oddity, tonight’s game will be on national television as the folks at TNT also seem to be getting a dress rehearsal before the season starts.

Battling for a job

It looks like Jimmy Vesey will be getting the start at right wing on the Zibanejad line following appearances by Sammy Blais and Barclay Goodrow.   While it looks like Vesey has won a job, a strong performance could guarantee that.  It’s still a little perplexing that it’s even possible for a journeyman on a PTO to actually end up on the top line.

When asked about that after practice Wednesday, Coach Gerard Gallant said “We’re gonna see what shakes out.  At the end of the day after the last exhibition game, we’re gonna sit down and have hard conversations about where we think the best guy will fit on each line.”

For the first time, we will get to see the reconfigured second line with Artemi Panarin skating with both Vincent Trocheck and Vitali Kravtsov.  It’s up to Kravtsov to prove that he belongs there.

The Kid Line is getting another start together and that has to be seen as a positive.  If they go into the season intact as the third line, it’s an indication of how deep this forward group really is.

Gallant did say that he isn’t wedded to keeping the Kid Line together. “Maybe we’ll break up the kid line and spot somebody up there (on the first line). Honestly, we’re not 100% sure yet.  We got a good feeling but we’re gonna wait and see and see how things shake out. Hopefully, no one gets hurt and we’ll put our lines together.”

Gustav Rydahl will be starting in his bid to win the fourth-line center slot over Ryan Carpenter.  All reports are that he has impressed the coaches, especially in his last outing and there is a real chance that the  Swedish veteran could earn a job.

On defense, Zac Jones and Braden Schneider will be together again and the third pairing will feature Libor Hajek and Matt Bartkowski, both contenders for the seventh spot on the blue line.

Again, due to cap constraints, it’s likely that the team will carry only one extra forward and one extra defenseman.  With Ryan Reaves a lock for a job, it means that Vesey, Rydahl, Carpenter, Julien Gauthier, and Dryden Hunt are all fighting for two spots.

The extra defense job will go to either Hajek who must pass through waivers or Bartkowski who is on a PTO.

Projected starting lineups

New York Rangers

20 Chris Keider – 93 Mika Zibanejad – 26 Jimmy Vesey
10 Artemi Panarin – 16 Vincent Trocheck – 74 Vitali Kravtsov
13 Alexis Lafreniere – 72 Filip Chytil – 24 Kaapo Kakko
91 Sammy Blais – 15 Gustav Rydahl – 21 Barclay Goodrow

79 K’Andre Miller – 8 Jacob Trouba
6 Zac Jones – 45 Braden Schneider
15 Libor Hajek – 14 Matt Bartkowski

31 Igor Shesterkin
41 Jaroslav Halak

Boston Bruins

18 Pavel Zacha – 46 David Krejci – 88 David Pastrnak
74 Jake DeBrusk – 23 Jack Studnicka – 26 Marc McLaughlin
94 Jakub Lauko  -19 John Beecher – 21 Fabian Lysell
14 Chris Wagner – Joona Koppanen  – 95 Vinni Lettieri

67 Jakub Zboril – 36 Anton Stralman
6 Mike Reilly – 44 Dan Renouf
54 Jack Ahcan –  25 Brandon Carlo

1 Jeremy Swayman
85 Kyle Keyser

Alumni report

Some news about the Rangers from last season worth noting.  Nils Lundkvist is opening eyes at the Dallas Stars training camp, scoring two power-play one-timer goals so far (one goal came as a penalty expired). It looks like he is going to get what he wanted, a role on the top power-play unit.

Alexandar Georgiev has made two appearances for the Avalanche. In his debut, he stopped 12 of 13 shots over 29 minutes.  In his second game, he was strafed for six goals on 16 shots.   He’s in a battle with Pavel Francouz for the top starting job with Francouz the likely choice.

Andrew Copp skated for the first time in a Red Wings uniform at practice Tuesday as he is coming back from abdominal surgery. Morgan Barron is also back after missing most of Jets camp with an injury.

No news to report on Ryan Strome & Frank Vatrano (Anaheim), Tyler Motte (Ottawa), Kevin Rooney (Calgary), Patrik Nemeth (Arizona) or Justin Braun (Philadelphia), and the Oilers put Greg McKegg on waivers.

How to watch & the live conversation

Tonight’s game is scheduled to start at 7 pm and it will be televised nationally on TNT.  No Sam and Joe on this telecast, it’s the national announcers so hopefully, we will see Kenny Albert.

Blue Line Station’s live thread is active now and you can comment and converse with your fellow Ranger fans throughout the game in the comments section below.  There are some bugs in the chat and to see new comments you may have to refresh your screen or change the order from newest to oldest to newest again.

MLB started all of the games on the last day of the regular season in the afternoon and we don’t have to worry about the Mets finishing first or Aaron Judge breaking the record.  That means that there are no sports except the Rangers on television tonight so there is no excuse to NOT watch this game.