Blog Archives
The Return of the King; Lundqvist back in net as Rangers battle Red Wings
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After missing the last three games with neck spasms, Henrik Lundqvist is ready to take back his spot in the crease as the Rangers (39-22-6) take on the Detroit Red Wings (33-23-11) at the Joe Louis Arena in an Original Six matchup.
Likely joining Lundqvist will be Rick Nash, who has been out of the lineup since January 22nd with a bone bruise. He’s been skating and practicing this week and should be good to go for today’s game. In the likely event that Nash does play, he’ll skate with Eric Staal on the third line, marking the first time they’ll be playing together on the Rangers.
With the good news also comes some bad news. Center Derick Brassard is a question mark for today’s game due to the flu. He’s doubtful, and Kevin Hayes would slide to center if he doesn’t play.
The Rangers are coming off of a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, with goals from Brassard, Zuccarello and Jesper Fast. However, they played pretty poor down the stretch and to start the game. The Rangers were outshot 36-26 and Raanta bailed out the team. They’ve split the last four games (2-2-0) but have won seven of the last 10 games.
This is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and Red Wings this season, and the first in Detroit. Back on February 21st, Henrik Lundqvist and the Blueshirts outdueled Jimmy Howard and Detroit in a 1-0 overtime win at the Garden, with Kevin Klein scoring the only goal of the game. Hank had 22 saves and Howard made 29 saves, benefitting from a disallowed goal from Kevin Hayes. Three of the last four games have been decided in overtime, and eight of the last nine games have been decided by one goal.
The Red Wings won their last game on Thursday against the Jets, but they had lost their last three games before that, getting outscored 14-6. The Red Wings are in a fight for their playoff lives, holding just a two point lead over the Philadelphia Flyers for the last playoff spot. Every game is crucial and the Red Wings need all the points they could get.
The 19 year-old rookie Dylan Larkin started out his season producing and hasn’t stopped, sitting in second place on the team in scoring with 40 points. He scored a goal on Thursday, giving him 20 for the season. He’s the first Red Wings rookie to reach that mark since current Captain Henrik Zetterberg did so 13 seasons ago. He’s a great skater and an offensive catalyst, and the Rangers will need to keep an eye out for him.
Detroit has another talented young player on their team named Andreas Athanasiou, a rookie taken in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL draft. Athanasiou hasn’t been up in the NHL for that long but his presence has been felt. He’s an incredible skater with blistering speed that can catch you off guard and enough skill to put one past the netminder, scoring three goals in the last five games.
For the Rangers, Rick Nash’s return will be a huge boost to the lineup. Alain Vigneault had him skating on a line with Eric Staal and Viktor Stalberg, creating a big line with speed and skill. Doing so will create matchup problems for opposing teams, because they’d have to figure out how to stop the two 300 goal scorers in Nash and Staal while also stopping the lines centered by Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard/Kevin Hayes. It’s probably be a game or two before Nash is back to his usual self, but pairing him with Staal and Stalberg puts him in a position to succeed.
It looks like Derick Brassard will be unavailable, which gives Kevin Hayes a big opportunity. Hayes has been stuck on the fourth line for the past few games, but he would be centering Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast today. He’s shown some signs of a resurgence before being thrown onto the fourth line, and he’ll get another chance to produce in the top-six today.
The Rangers and the Red Wings will faceoff at the Joe Louis Arena at 2 PM. The game will be broadcasted on MSG Network.
EXPECTED LINES
JT Miller-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider-Kevin Hayes-Jesper Fast
Rick Nash-Eric Staal-Viktor Stalberg
Oscar Lindberg-Dominic Moore-Tanner Glass
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle-Kevin Klein
Henrik Lundqvist
Lundqvist to start in Detroit tomorrow; Good chance Nash and Staal play vs Red Wings
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers can expect Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist back in the lineup tomorrow. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After today’s practice, Alain Vigneault said the one thing that all Rangers fans were waiting to hear for an entire week.
“Hank is good to go,” Vigneault told reporters.
Henrik Lundqvist had suffered neck spasms after colliding with Ryan McDonagh in the loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was when he knocked over the net to get a needed stoppage. He’s missed the last three games, and Antti Raanta is 2-1-0 filling in for those starts. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report: Rick Nash day to day, Brady Skjei recalled from Hartford
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced today ahead of their road game against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night. And it seems like they’re very close to getting two of their key players back. Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist both skated with the team and it looks like they’ll be back soon.
Lundqvist has missed the last two games with neck spasms after colliding with Ryan McDonagh in the game against the Penguins. He was on the ice and participated in drills, but he will not travel with the team to Buffalo. However, he said that the plan is to “be ready for the weekend.”
Nash practiced in a non-contact jersey, marking the first time that he skated with teammates since his injury back in January. He also won’t be traveling to Buffalo, marking the 20th straight game he will be out, but the good news is that his status has been upgraded from “week to week” to “day to day.” Read the rest of this entry
Raanta remains in net as the Rangers take on the Islanders; Marc Staal OUT
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After bouncing back with a huge win over the Capitals, the Rangers (38-21-6) close out a tough three-game stretch against division rivals when they take on the New York Islanders (35-20-7), returning to MSG for one game before another short road trip.
Although the Rangers hold a five game lead over the Islanders, the Isles have three games in hand, making this a true battle for second place in the Metro. Both teams are coming into this game playing well, and both teams will be playing hard to get the two points.
This is the third out of four games between the Rangers and Islanders, and the first game at MSG this season. The last five encounters have all been played at the Islanders’ home; three at the Nassau Coliseum and two this year at the Barclays Center. The Rangers are 0-1-1 this year against the Isles, losing 2-1 in a shootout in December and 3-1 on January 14th. Read the rest of this entry
Raanta makes 32 saves as Rangers take down the Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a tough loss in Pittsburgh, the Rangers (38-21-6) bounced back with a huge win over the league-leading Washington Capitals (47-13-4) on the road, thanks to a goal from Derek Stepan and 32 saves from Antti Raanta.
Before the game, it looked like the odds were stacked against the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist was injured, Marc Staal was coming back from the flu, there were a few other minor injuries, and they were playing the Caps. Not a recipe for success, but they found a way to win.
The Rangers bounced back from a loss again, and they haven’t lost back-to-back games since December 20th. Also, the Rangers didn’t allow Alex Ovechkin to score a goal, snapping a nine game goal streak against the Rangers Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 