It's another game day for the New York Rangers. Last night's disappointing defeat to the Washington Capitals saw the Rangers play winn in vain as the better team held off a solid Rangers effort, considering the team's struggles. Now, the Blueshirts will look to make it right with a trip to the United Center to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago can score and have one particular star that can cause the Rangers problems, so this must be watched tonight.
For the Blueshirts, expect Louis Domingue to make his first start of the year after being recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier in the week. With Igor Shesterkin on the injured reserve and Jonathan Quick now 38 and in the final few seasons of his career, Domginue will be necessary for the next few weeks. Considering the circumstances, he will play more than if Quick was injured, and the need for him to perform is high.
New York's offense scored more than three goals for the first time since the 7-5 loss to Seattle against the Capitals. If the Rangers want to get back to winning, they need run support. They cannot expect their third-choice netminder to bail them out tonight. They need to score and allow Domingue a chance to keep the Blueshirts in front. If the Rangers cannot score goals, they will not win tonight.
Projected Lineups
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Reilly Smith
Will Cuylle - Filip Chytil - Jimmy Vesey
Adam Edstrom - Sam Carrick - Jimmy Vesey
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Will Borgen
Urho Vaakanainen - Braden Schneider
Louis Domingue
Jonathan Quick
Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Bertuzzi - Connor Bedard - Ilya Mikheyev
Taylor Hall - Jason Dickinson - Nick Foligno
Colton Dach - Frank Nazar - Teuvo Teravainen
Pat Maroon - Ryan Donato - Craig Smith
Wyatt Kaiser - Seth Jones
Alex Vlasic - Louis Crevier
Nolan Allan - T.J. Brodie
Arvid Soderblom
Petr Mrazek
Puck Drop
These two Original Six foes will clash from the United Center starting at 3 p.m. Eastern. The Rangers will try to continue their improved performances in the new year, while the Blackhawks will look for anything to get away from the bottom of the standings. New York can salvage its season, while the Blackhawks are trying to build for the future with their young core in the Windy City.