Rangers return to MSG as the Washington Capitals come to town

After taking three points from a possible four from a back-to-back trip that saw the Blueshirts take on the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers will return to Broadway as the Washington Capitals come to the Big Apple in an effort to allow two teams that have had a lot of success in the regular season in the salary cap era renew their hatred as we go down the stretch in the NHL regular season.

For the Rangers, Washington did something that is completely foreign when they sold at the NHL trade deadline. Long-time members of this roster like Lars Eller and Dimitry Orlov have been moved to new homes. Washington is not going to roll over and let the Rangers win today, but it is the kind of game that a team that wants to win the Stanley Cup should be winning. This is a team that is ripe for a beating.

For New York, Ryan Lindgren is set to miss his eighth consecutive game with an upper-body injury. It was endured the last time these two franchises met when TJ Oshie hit Lindgren along the boards. While Oshie was quickly apologetic, the injury has caused great issues for the Rangers’ blueline and there is a chance the Blueshirts will look for retribution if the opportunity arises.

Jacob Trouba did not take part in the morning skate because of personal stuff but the Ranger captain is expected to be present for tonight’s game in Manhatten. Everyone is wishing for the best with whatever is being dealt with by Trouba and the folks close to him, and that should absolutely take priority over a morning skate ahead of a game where there is almost nothing to play for.

New York Rangers

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

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

Igor Shesterkin
Jaroslav Halak

Washington Capitals

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

Rasmus Sandin – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary – Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin – Alexander Alexeyev

Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Puck drop time and where to watch

This game is being played at Madison Square Garden as a 7 PM Eastern puck drop time. This is a National Broadcast game so it is important to remember that MSG will not have a feed tonight. It will be an ESPN game. Trust me, I groaned more than you did. Games will only get more difficult down the stretch as the Blueshirts look to make it two regulation wins in their last 12 games.