For the final time in 2024, it's the New York Rangers' game day. They'll end the year against the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, as the two teams look for two points in the standings to end the season on a high. It's a challenging game to end the year, but the Blueshirts are looking to stop the bleeding. It's been a shambolic stretch for the original six franchises, and the Rangers will be desperate to fix this.
Matt Rempe is still suspended, so the Rangers will be without the services of the big Calgary native. In the absence of the big, physical bottom sixer, the Rangers will need their depth to step up and force the Panthers to doubt themselves before they dive into their traditional "bully" style that Paul Maurice loves to instill in his rosters. When the Rangers take to the ice, they must ensure they're the more physical force.
Elsewhere on the roster, K'Andre Miller returned against Tampa and will play against the Cats again. New York is still trying to find the right balance for the defense core, as Urho Vaakanainen didn't take to the ice last time. It'll be a different mix tonight as Peter Laviolette tries to find the right formula. New York's defensive concerns have been a primary concern for several years, and the Rangers must fix them.
Projected Lineups
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Reilly Smith
Will Cuylle - Filip Chytil - Brett Berard
Adam Edstrom - Sam Carrick - Jimmy Vesey
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Will Corgen
Urho Vaakanainen - Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Florida Panthers
Evan Rodrigues - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Loustarainen - Anton Lundell - Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer - Tomas Nosek - Mackie Samoskevich
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Adam Boqvist - Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis - Nate Schmidt
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
Puck Drop
It's a 7 p.m. puck drop on the final game of the 2024 calendar year for the Rangers. It's a difficult opponent, but the Rangers need something to end this year on a high. This year started with so much promise; it had some spectacular highs, but the devastating lows of recent times bittered the taste of the season in the mouths of the Ranger faithful. Winning cures most ailments, so winning tonight could change the feeling going into the new year.