Three New York Rangers to watch against Utah Hockey Club

After a dominating 6-0 opening night victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers return home on Saturday night for their home opener at Madison Square Garden. Their opponent is the league's newest franchise - Utah Hockey Club, who moved to Salt Lake City this past offseason.

This is the Rangers' first matchup with Utah, who is off to a hot start. André Tourigny's group is 2-0-0 to open up the season and has scored five goals in each game.

Here's three Rangers to look out for on opening night at MSG.

1. Igor Shesterkin

For the second straight game (and will be on many of these lists), Shesterkin has to be mentioned. A day after reportedly rejecting an eight-year, $11 milllion AAV deal that would have made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, Shesterkin pitched a 29-save shutout on opening night against the Penguins.

Should Rangers fans worry that Shesterkin turned down this deal? Probably not, as the team is still likely to re-sign him. But one thing is clear: the goaltender is putting his money where his mouth is.

Shesterkin will be key to every Rangers game where he is in the crease, and assuming he gets the nod tomorrow night, will be counted on to help slow down a Utah offense that has 10 goals through two games.

2. Mika Zibanejad

In a game where many Rangers were able to find the scoresheet, Zibanejad - one of New York's most prolific scorers - had zero points. Is this something to worry about? No, it's only one game.

Expect Zibanejad to get a point in this game, or even better, to get his first goal of the season. The 31-year-old had a rough start to the season in 2023 and hopes it is not the case this season.

Zibanejad, paired with Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith, look to be more productive at 5v5 as the season goes on. But, that starts with the star center.

3. Jacob Trouba

The Rangers' captain was the center of many headlines this offseason - he was targeted as one of the reasons New York lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the Florida Panthers and was subject to trade rumors, and many wanted the 30-year-old out of New York.

But, as Trouba said during the offseason and Wednesday night, communication was clear and he's still a Ranger. He backed it up with a two-point performance with a +2 rating on opening night. Throughout the season - whether it's his last as a Ranger or not - he will be counted on to lead the defensive core that got younger with the loss of Erik Gustaffson.

Trouba needs to stack strong performances or will be the center of criticism as the games go on. He helped his case on Wednesday against Pittsburgh.