The New York Rangers return to the ice tonight to take on the Nashville Predators. Trying to rebound from the loss to Toronto, the Rangers will have several new faces in the lineup tonight. Juuso Parssinen and Calvin de Haan were acquired from the Colorado Avalanche yesterday and are expected to be among the New York Rangers playing tonight against the Predators. If the Rangers want to cling onto their slim postseason hopes, they must win tonight and grab the two points.
New York has to get used to two new players on its roster, de Haan and Parssinen, but that also applies to the Rangers adjusting to life without Adam Fox, who is on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. New York's best defenseman is watching from the sidelines while he recovers, and the Rangers' adjustments will need to be twofold: adjust to games like tonight where he isn't available, but players like de Haan are, and then adjust again when Fox returns.
Reilly Smith is sitting tonight's game out due to trade protection. New York is trying to recoup assets for its pending unrestricted free agents, and getting a second for Lindgren and Vesey indicates that Chris Drury knows how he wants to shape this roster. He's got to do it quickly with the trade deadline coming up later next week, and the Rangers will be protecting those they wish to move on from.
Projected Lineups
Nashville Predators
Filip Forsberg - Steven Stamkos - Jonathan Marchessault
Cole Smith - Ryan O'Reilly - Colton Sissons
Tommy Novak - Fedor Svechkov - Luke Evangelista
Kieffer Bellows - Michael McCarron
Brady Skjei - Nick Blankenburg
Marc Del Gaizo - Luke Schenn
Spencer Stastney - Justin Barron
Andreas Englund
Juuse Saros
Justus Annunen
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - J.T. Miller - Mika Zibanejad
Brennan Othmann - Juuso Parssinen - Jonny Brodzinski
Brett Berard - Sam Carrick - Matt Rempe
K'Andre Miller - Will Borgen
Zac Jones - Calvn de Haan
Braden Schneider - Urho Vaakanainen
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
Tonight's game begins at 7 p.m. Eastern from the Garden as New York looks to keep its dying playoff hopes alive. New York needs the two points to maintain their playoff bid; anything less, and the Blueshirts can start packing it up. It's a must-win game for the Rangers. They've done well to attempt to salvage the season after the dismal six weeks of November and December, but the pressure is on now. Can they meet it?