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Rangers look for important rebound game without Klein and Nash
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Just about everything that could have went wrong, went wrong for the Rangers (27-18-5) on Tuesday night. They lost an important interdivision battle against the Devils, lost Kevin Klein indefinitely to a fractured thumb, and are just two points away from being out of the playoffs entirely.
After that, it was announced that Rick Nash’s bone bruise hasn’t really healed, and he’ll miss tonight’s game as well. In the wake of the injuries to Klein and the continued absence of Nash, the team decided to call up Jayson Megna again as opposed to a defenseman. That tells me two things;
- They have faith in Dylan McIlrath to play in Klein’s role, and they should
- Nash’s injury is probably more serious than initially thought, or AV wants to shake up the lineup to try and slap some sense into this team.
Rangers Update: Klein suffers fractured thumb, Nash still sidelined; How this effects the Rangers defense
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers suffered another serious blow to their team, as it was announced that Kevin Klein had suffered a fractured thumb and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Now Klein has not had the same offensive success as he had last season, but he’s really helped solidify the top pairing when playing with Ryan McDonagh. For the most part, he’s played consistently solid defense with solid possession numbers, and along with Keith Yandle, Klein has been one of the best defenseman this year. And now he’s gone.
This is bad. I don’t know if you realize how much of an effect this will have, but it’s bad. On one hand, it’s wonderful that Dylan McIlrath will be an everyday player. He totally deserves it and he will do well. But it’s terrible that it comes at the expense of Klein. Read the rest of this entry
Special Teams the difference in 3-2 loss to the Devils
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers would’ve no doubt liked a better result in their first game after the All-Star break but wound up losing to the Devils, 3-2 in Newark.
In the end, the Rangers lack of execution on both the power play and the penalty kill were the deciding factor. The Rangers finished 0/4 on the power play and mustered no shots on their first two man advantages of the contest, and the usual suspects were to blame for all Devils goals.
Shoddy net mouth coverages during both of the Devils power play goals resulted in open men sweeping in chances right on the door step, again. Dan Girardi got embarrassed by Joe Blandisi and while Lundqvist admittedly intended to cut the shooters angle down some, no NHL defenseman should be allowing chances off the wing like that. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers down Flyers on the road; Kevin Klein potentially injured
Alexandra Russo
After a disappointing loss to the Islanders to start the road trip, the Rangers (24-15-5) won
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
against the Flyers (19-15-8) in a shootout, the final score 3-2.
The Flyers came out fast. Kreider had a chance to drive to net, but Mason robbed him and left a long rebound. Braden Schenn received a pass in front of the net that he slipped past Lundqvist for the one goal lead.
Hayes had a breakaway chance but was denied as Mason kicked out the pads. A few minutes later, Nash retrieved the puck behind the net while Mason was out of place but sent the puck onto the opposition’s stick with an empty net in front. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look for rebound game against the Flyers; Girardi expected to play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Setup:
The Rangers (23-15-5) are coming off of a tough 3-1 loss at the hands of the Islanders, playing well for almost the entire game but suffering a few miscues that led to both of the Isles’ goals. They will remain on the road to face another divisional foe, taking on the Philadelphia Flyers (19-15-7) at the Wells Fargo Center.
The loss dropped the Rangers into third place, meaning they will likely be in a fight for a playoff spot for the rest of the season. They have a three point lead over the next team in their division, which is surprisingly the Carolina Hurricanes. Pittsburgh and the Devils are just four points behind, and the Flyers are looking to move up and claim a playoff spot of their own. Philadelphia trails the Rangers by six points, but they have two games in hand. That makes this game very, very important.
Season Series:
The Rangers and Flyers will be meeting for the third game of their five game season series, and the Rangers have only managed to capture one point in the first two games. The Flyers won the first game in Philadelphia in a shootout by a final score of 3-2. Henrik Lundqvist was remarkable, making 46 saves in a losing effort. The Flyers also blanked the Rangers on home ice, 3-0, back on November 28th. Antti Raanta stopped 31 of the 33 shots that he faced. Derick Brassard and JT Miller are the only two Rangers to score against Philadelphia this season, with just one of those goals coming at even strength. The Flyers are outscoring the Rangers 5-1 at even strength.
Team Scope
Philadelphia Flyers:
The Flyers enter this game on a four game win streak, as well as a six game win streak on home ice dating back to December 15th. Jakub Voracek leads the team with nine points (2-7-9) in that span, while Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds each have four goals. They also have gone 8-1-3 at the Wells Fargo Center since November 17. Against the Rangers, the Flyers have won five of the last six meetings at home.
The Rangers will want look out for Wayne Simmonds today, because he typically has the Rangers’ number. In just two games this season against New York, he has four points (2-2-4), a plus-4 rating and eight shots on goal. He has 10 goals and 17 points in 25 career games against the Blueshirts, and Philadelphia is 9-0-0 when he scores a goal. He’s physical, he’s a net-front presence, and an agitator.
Sean Couturier is known primarily for his excellent defensive play as one of the league’s better defensive centers and a strong penalty killer. But he’s turned into an offensive weapon for the Flyers lately, scoring three goals and five points during their four game win streak. He’s also tallied 12 points (6-6-12) in the last 11 games. He’s third on the team with nine goals and fifth with 20 points, and he leads the team with a +8 rating.
New York Rangers:
The Rangers have been struggling for quite some time now. They’ve won just seven of the last 22 games, and they’ve failed to win consecutive games in nearly two months. They’re in the midst of a three game road trip, and they’ve really struggled on the road too, dropping 10 of their last 11 games away from MSG (1-8-2), including the game against the Islanders.
Henrik Lundqvist will start his 11th straight game for the Rangers, and he’s been playing much better lately. He made some spectacular saves against the Islanders and did everything he could to give his team a win. He was even better against Boston, allowing one goal on 33 shots for his 19th win. Lundqvist is looking for his 20th win of the season, which would give him 11 consecutive 20 win seasons to start his career, the only goaltender in NHL history to do so. Against the Flyers, he has a 28-13-4 record in 47 career appearances, but in his last 18 appearances since March 6, 2011, he has posted a 14-3-1 record with a 1.83 GAA and a .941 save percentage.
JT Miller is one of two Rangers to score against the Flyers this season, and he’s been one of the team’s best players on the road this season. Miller leads the team in points (14), is tied for the team lead in assists (eight), and tied for second on the team in goals (six) on the road this season.
Kevin Hayes had a good game against the Islanders apart from a terrible turnover that led directly to Brock Nelson’s goal. It’s been a weird season for him coming off of a fantastic rookie season. His play has been inconsistent, but the talent level is definitely there, evident by his no look, spinning pass to set up Marc Staal’s goal. Hayes has three points (1-2-3) in four games since being scratched, so his production could be on the rise. I really like the line he is on with Lindberg and Fast, because it gives him some pretty quick wingers with good hands, but they’re also very responsible defensively.
Wrap-Up
The Rangers and the Flyers will face off at the Wells Fargo Center at 1 PM. The game will be broadcasted on MSG Network.
TODAY’S LINEUP
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
JT Miller-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello
Oscar Lindberg-Kevin Hayes-Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass-Dominic Moore-Viktor Stalberg
Ryan McDonagh-Kevin Klein
Keith Yandle-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Dan Boyle
Henrik Lundqvist
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