New York Rangers prepare to host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers

In the penultimate game before the Christmas break, and the New York Rangers will be welcoming the best player in the NHL into the most storied arena in all of hockey. Madison Square Garden will be the destination as the Edmonton Oilers come to town, and the Rangers will look to prove against one of the teams picked as a preseason favorite for the cup that they are justifiably among the elite of the NHL.

It is expected to be Jonathan Quick who is given the nod between the pipes tonight as Igor Shesterkin likely gets the night off. Igor has not been his usual dominant self, so getting some time off to clear his head may not be the worst of things for this team. Quick has been a sensational story for the Blueshirts so far, so testing himself against a team he saw frequently as a member of the Los Angeles Kings may not be a bad idea.

This is going to be a very difficult game. This Edmonton Oilers team has won nine of its last twelve. They have been on fire recently. They will be on the second half of a back-to-back, so they could be tired later in the game, but this team has the talent and ability to cause some problems for anyone in the NHL. New York will need to be playing well to beat this Oilers team.

Projected Lineups

Edmonton Oilers

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Evander Kane - Leon Draisaitl - Warren Foegele
Mattias Jamark - Ryan McLeod - Sam Gagner
Adam Erne - James Hamblin - Derek Ryan
Darnell Nurse - Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak - Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard

New York Rangers

Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Blake Wheeler
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - Nick Bonino - Jonny Brodzinski
Jimmy Vesey - Barclay Goodrow - Tyler Pitlick
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Jacob Trouba
Erik Gustafsson - Braden schneider
Jonathan Quick
Igor Shesterkin

Puck Drop

This will be a 7:30 Eastern pcuk drop and the Rangers will be looking to continue their good start to the season. Improving on a 22-7-1 record isn't easy, but a win tonight will do that. If the Rangers are able to take two points against a good Oilers team like the Oilers tonight, it would be a good sign for competing against the best teams in the NHL.