Rangers prepare for a matinee in DC against the Capitals

After a poor showing in their last game out in Detroit, the Rangers are going to be looking to bounce back in a strong manner as they visit the Washington Capitals. Having recently sold some of its long-time defensive units in the form of Dimitry Orlov, the Capitals are punting on this season as a whole so the Rangers will be needing to take advantage with the Devils and Hurricanes both in action tonight.

There is no Jake Leschyshyn or Vitali Kravtsov tonight as both guys are being held out for roster management purposes. That is fancy talk to say that they are preparing to find these guys a new home in an attempt to figure out the finances behind a Patrick Kane trade. This does mean that the Rangers will be unchanged from the game in Detroit but given the final score in that game, there may be some reason for concern.

It will be Igor Shesterkin who will go for the Blueshirts tonight. Shesterkin has really found himself struggling since the All-star break as the Russian netminder has not found his best form citing a dip in confidence. It’s no secret that the Rangers and their season will follow the path of Igor. When he is good, the Rangers are good. When he is off, it becomes an uphill battle for New York to get their desired results.

New York Rangers

Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Jimmy Vesey
Artemi Panarin – Vincent Trocheck – Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexis Lafreniere – Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko
Tyler Motte – Barclay Goodrow

Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller – Jacob Trouba
Niko Mikkola – Braden Schneider
Ben Harpur

Igor Shesterkin
Jaroslav Halak

Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Sonny Milano – Dylan Strome – T.J. Oshie
Craig Smith – Nicklas Backstrom – Conor Sheary
Lars Eller – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Martin Fehervary – Nick Jensen
Erik Gustafsson – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Matt Irwin – Dylan McIlrath

Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Puck drop time and where to watch

This game is a matinee meaning it will be a 1 PM puck drop in the capital of the nation. ABC will be carrying the coverage for this game although it will be available on ESPN+ and Sportsnet north of the border depending on where you are watching from. This is the kind of game the Rangers have struggled to extract two points from in the past so doing it tonight could go a long way for the Blueshirts.