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Rangers look to tame the red-hot Wild; St. Louis back in the lineup
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers are looking to build off of a big win in Winnipeg when they play the Minnesota Wild and Devan Dubnyk tonight at the Xcel Energy Center. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After snapping their brief two game in Winnipeg, the Rangers (48-21-7) are in Minnesota to close out their two game road trip against the Wild (44-25-7), a team that turned their season around with the acquisition of goaltender Devan Dubnyk before the trade deadline.
This is the second and final meeting between these two teams, with the first matchup being one of the most exciting games of the season. The Rangers overcame a 3-0 third period deficit, scoring five goals in the third period for an amazing comeback victory by a final score of 5-4. Kevin Klein, Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Anthony Duclair, and Mats Zuccarello all scored, and Brassard added two assists.
Things have changed for the Wild since then, with new additions to their lineup, a new goalie, and a strong performance over the past three months, solidifying their position in the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Read the rest of this entry
Martin St. Louis ready to return tomorrow; Rangers sign Brady Skjei
Bobby Bevilacqua
Martin St. Louis will make his return to the Rangers lineup tomorrow night, after missing the previous eight games with a knee injury. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Martin St. Louis and Alain Vigneault both confirmed this afternoon that the veteran winger would be making his return to action tomorrow night when the Rangers take on the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. St. Louis has been out of the lineup since March 15th with a sprained MCL in his right knee.
“I’m not used to not being part [of the lineup],” St. Louis said when asked about if he was excited about returning to the team. “I don’t know what the amount of games I’ve missed in my career is, but I know it’s not a lot.”
St. Louis was feeling better ahead of yesterday’s game in Winnipeg, and participated in the morning skate, but both Alain Vigneault and he opted to give him a full practice today in Minnesota. During practice, Marty was skating on a very interesting line combination alongside Carl Hagelin and Kevin Hayes. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers get back in the win column over Winnipeg; Henrik Lundqvist very sharp
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers were happy to get back in the win column on Tuesday, coming away with a nice two point performance over the Winnipeg Jets. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (48-21-7) followed up a rough weekend with a great comeback win tonight against the Winnipeg Jets (39-26-12), a team that is desperate to cling onto their last Wild Card spot. In an extremely hard fought battle against the Winnipeg Jets (39-26-12), coming out on top by a final score of 3-2 thanks to a late goal by Chris Kreider.
The win was the 25th road victory for the Rangers this season, a mark that currently leads the NHL, and ties a franchise record that was set last season. They now sit in the first overall spot in the New York is also just two points from clinching home-ice advantage in the first round.
This wasn’t the best game played by the Rangers, as it seemed like Winnepeg had the puck in the Rangers zone more often, and had more attempts and chances. The Jets had 73 shot attempts in the game. 34 of the shots were on net, 24 of them were blocked, and 15 missed the net. But the Rangers weathered the storm, battling through the tough moments and finding ways to come out on top. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers need to get back on track in Winnipeg with Lundqvist back in net
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers need to get back on track tonight when they take on the Winnipeg Jets, looking to snap a two game losing streak. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a rough weekend which saw the Rangers (47-21-7) drop two games in two days, the Blueshirts will be aiming for a rebound win when they take on the Winnipeg Jets (39-25-12) at the MTS Center up in Canada, a team that is desperate to cling onto their wild card spot.
The Rangers and the Jets will be meeting for the second and final time this season, with the first meeting coming way back on November 1st, a 1-0 shootout victory for Winnipeg in that game. Henrik Lundqvist picked up a shutout in that game, stopping all 25 shots that he faced.
The Jets have been playing very well, with a 6-2-0 record in their last eight games. They have been red hot at the MTS Center as well, posting a 12-3-2 record in their last 17 road games. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to start in goal for the Jets, and is aiming for his 20th win of the season. Pavelec had a six game win streak snapped on Sunday in a heartbreaking late loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Read the rest of this entry
Kevin Klein not close to returning; Rangers may be trying to sign Buchnevich and Skjei
Bobby Bevilacqua
Unfortunately, Kevin Klein is not close to returning to the Rangers lineup, and could be out for a total of six weeks with a broken arm. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following the Rangers 5-2 home loss to the Washington Capitals, fans received some more bad news when it was discovered that Kevin Klein would not be making the trip to Winnipeg and Minnesota. At first, Klein was expected to miss three to four weeks, but according to Vigneault, Klein is two weeks into what will be a four to six week injury. Klein broke his arm blocking an Alex Ovechkin shot late in a 3-1 Rangers win in D.C.
This is troubling news for a Rangers squad that has struggled defensively lately, giving up four or more goals in three of the last four games. Matt Hunwick has done a serviceable job filling in, but having the always steady Kevin Klein back in the lineup would certainly help solidify the back end.
Losing Klein also left the Rangers missing a natural righty, forcing Vigneault to shift guys like Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonagh, and Matt Hunwick to the right side, creating some unorthodox defensive pairings that haven’t worked tremendously well. Read the rest of this entry
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