Tuesday's morning skate saw quite the number of updates for the New York Rangers ahead of them hosting the Dallas Stars at Madison Square Garden.
Following claiming Los Angeles Kings member Arthur Kaliyev off waivers, veteran Chris Kreider has been placed on the Injured Reserve retroactive to Sunday. As a result, 22-year-old forward Matt Rempe has since been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Additionally, Goaltender Igor Shesterkin was also an active participant in the morning skate for the first time since being placed on IR. However, Louis Domingue is still with the team and Jonathan Quick was the first one off the ice, indicating Shesterkin is still a ways away from returning to the lineup
New York making a number of changes is a good thing; changes can only result in different ways of a game being played out. And with the Blueshirts being off and on in the win column since the new year and having an overall record of 18-20-1, change is definitely needed.
The latest opportunity for a Rangers win comes in the rapidly approaching matchup against the Stars (24-13-1) on Tuesday, Jan. 7th. In order for the Blueshirts to take down Dallas, they'll have to shut down team-leader Matt Duchene.
Matt Duchene
33-year-old Duchene signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2023, and another one-year deal July 1, 2024.
He most recently logged two assists and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over Utah. Duchene has three multi-point efforts over his last four games, earning two goals and five helpers in that span.
The Ontario, Canada native is at a team-high 37 points, 69 shots on net and a plus-10 rating through 38 appearances.
Beyond scoring, Duchene's fast reaction time has allowed him to be one of the best in the NHL at winning face-offs. He's won more than half of his draws in every season since 2010-11.
At 5'11" and 212 pounds, he's played in a whopping 1,094 NHL games with a total of 846 points.
How to Tune In
Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m EST at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The game will be available for streaming via ESPN+ and be sure to tune into our Twitter for live updates.