With the turmoil and commotion around the New York Rangers right now, rumors flying left and right about Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, and Chris Kreider, it's a game day for the Blueshirts tonight. As they try to rebound, the Blueshirts host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Another team that needs the points, the Rangers will need to tune out the noise and focus on the task at hand. Stringing a few wins together will clear the mood around the franchise, and the players know that.
The big Rangers news tonight is the absentee on the blue line for Peter Laviolette. New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba is not in the lineup for the Rangers. New York is trying to get out from under the Trouba deal, and with the threat of either a trade or waivers, the Blueshirts look set to leave the captain out for tonight's game. We'll see what the Rangers can do in his absence.
On the Pittsburgh side, they will be looking to get a recent trade acquisition from Phillip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators flowing with the organization. Kyle Dubas wants his organization to get younger as the old Penguins' core declines due to age. While there are still a few scary faces like Sidney Crosby, players like Erik Karlsson, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Tanev are not what they used to be.
Projected Lineups
Pittsburgh Penguins
Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Drew O'Connor - Evgeni Malkin - Philip Tomasino
Michael Bunting - Blake Lizotte - Anthony Beauvillier
Matthew Nieto - Noel Accari - Kevin Hayes
Marcus Pettersson - Erik Karlsson
Matt Grzelcyk - Kris Letang
Owen Pickering - Ryan Shea
Tristan Jarry
Alex Nedeljkovic
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Reilly Smith
Will Cuylle - Filip Chytil - Kaapo Kakko
Adam Edstrom - Sam Carrick - Jimmy Vesey
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Braden Schneider
Zac Jones - Victor Mancini
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
Tonight is a 7:30 puck drop from Madison Square Garden tonight as the Rangers look to try and begin the process of stabilizing the organization. With a looming change on the backend, there will be players knowing that their time in New York is coming to an end unless they deliver a win tonight with a good performance. We know the Blueshirts are trying to get back to contention, and a win tonight would go a long way.