New York Rangers prepare for another difficult game as they visit Tampa Bay Lightning
By Conor Power
It's gameday for the Blueshirts once more. With the division no longer in doubt, the New York Rangers take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Sunshine state. Amalie Arena has seen some difficult moments for the Rangers over the years as the two teams have fought for the Stanley Cup, but this is a regular season clash between two of the pillars of NHL success during the 2010's. Now, the division leading Rangers and playoff hopeful Lightning do it once more.
Without captain Jacob Trouba once more, the Rangers will be looking for another solid defensive performance from the club that has had a few of them consecutively. Against the troublesome Carolina Hurricanes and the dangerous New Jersey Devils, the Rangers proved they have the defensive gaul to hold out against difficult opponents. Now, they will have to do it again, as this is a dangerous team in Tampa Bay.
New York has not given up more than a goal in any game this season when taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Rangers have scored a collective eight times in the two prior meetings between the two organizations earlier in the year. With Igor Shesterkin shutting out the last two teams he has faced, he will be looking for a hat trick today if he is the goaltender that Peter Laviolette opts to go with.
Projected Lineups
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Jack Roslovic
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - Alex Wennberg - Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey - Barclay Goodrow - Jonny Brodzinski
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Braden Schneider
Zac Jones - Erik Gustafsson
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Tampa Bay Lightning
Brandon Hagel - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Steven Stamkos - Anthony Cirelli - Anthony Duclair
Michael Eyssimont - Nick Paul - Conor Sheary
Tyler Motte - Luke Glendening - Tanner Jeannot
Victor Hedman - Darren Raddysh
Nick Perbix - Erik Cernak
Haydn Fleury - Mathew Dumba
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Puck Drop
This will be a 7 p.m. puck drop from Amalie Arena in Tampa. We get to see two teams that want to win the Stanley Cup go toe-to-toe. We're likely to be presented with another game where two high-octane offenses face off. We'll see if the New York Rangers are able to overcome another playoff threat. This will be a test of the Rangers additions as the deadlines as the Lightning loaded up too, and it could be the difference between the two teams.