After the disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins without Evgeny Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the New York Rangers return to the ice tonight as they hit the road. They take a trip down to Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, to take on the season's feel-good story. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the opponent, and this is a game the Rangers need if they're going to stay in the hunt for a wild card spot ahead of the postseason.
Igor Shesterkin was on the receiving end of the defeat last night. Jonathan Quick picked up win number 400 last time he played, so he'll be looking to make it 401 and close the gap on the few goaltenders ahead of him on the NHL's all-time wins list. Last time the Jackets and Rangers played, both netminders picked up shutouts as Daniil Tarasov and Igor stood tall. Quick has a high bar to live up to if he matches that.
Urho Vaakanainen missed the last two games due to illness, and the Rangers have had wavering results. Zac Jones played in his place instead, and he's been a mixed bag. There have been highlights, like the stick save he made in the defeat to Pittsburgh, but he's also had countless turnovers. New York needs to find stability on the backend if they will be successful, so we'll see which of the two goes tonight if Vaakanainen is healthy.
Projected Lineups
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - J.T. Miller - Mika Zibanejad
Reilly Smith - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Chris Kreider - Jonny Brodzinski - Will Cuylle
Jimmy Vesey - Sam Carrick - Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Will Borgen
Zac Jones - Braden Schneider
Jonathan Quick
Igor Shesterkin
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantilli - Kent Johnson
James van Riemsdyk - Luca Del Bel Belluz - Cole Sillinger
Zach Aston-Reese - Justin Danforth - Mathieu Olivier
Mikael Pyyhtia - Sean Kuraly
Zach Werenski - Ivan Provorov
Denton Mateychuk - Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen - Jordan Harris
Jack Johnson
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Puck Drop
Tonight's game will feature another 7 p.m. puck drop, and the Rangers will look to make amends for the egg they laid on the Garden ice last night. This is the Rangers' final game before the Four Nations faceoff. Going into the break with a win would be a much easier transition than the Rangers' garbage pile last night. Beat the Jackets, and get back in the win column to get the wheels going in motion in the right direction.