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Rangers Practice Report: Buchnevich may have more than back spasms, Jooris ready and NYR lines
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced this afternoon ahead of their game against the Panthers tomorrow, but Pavel Buchnevich did not take the ice with his team. Alain Vigneault alluded to the fact that it might be more than back spasms for the rookie.
“Not a set back. Today he came in and wasn’t feeling the way we expected him,” Vigneault told Matt Calamia of NYRangers.com. “Right now we’re going to have our doctors take a good look at him. This obviously might be more than just back spasms. We’re going to take a look at this and we’ll come up with a plan and I’ll share that plan with you.”
This means that Buchnevich will miss his fourth straight game with these so-called back spasms. Earlier this season he missed five games with “back spasms,” which could mean that it’s a chronic issue. It’s been tough for him, but he’s been good while healthy, tallying four goals and four assists in eight games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers win streak ends after loss to Columbus; Grabner scores 11th goal
Alexandra Russo

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The first power play of the game went to the Rangers, and they circulated the puck well but were held to one shot on goal. Against the best power play in the League, the Rangers did a great job after Nash put his team short-handed. The Jackets barely had any chances as they were kept to the outside.
With under five minutes to go in the first period, a bad set of plays put the Rangers behind by a goal. JT Miller gave the puck away right in the middle of the defensive zone to Karlsson who ripped a shot from the blue line. Lundqvist didn’t get the pads together in time on a shot that normally wouldn’t count as a quality scoring chance. The period ended with three shots on goal for each team, proving how limited the opportunities were. Read the rest of this entry
Kreider expected to return as the Rangers take on the Blue Jackets
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a stretch of three games in Canada that all resulted in wins, the Rangers (13-4-0) will look to keep on rolling and sweep their four game win streak as they head to Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets (8-4-2).
The Rangers most recent victory was a 7-2 thrashing over the Canucks, with JT Miller and Kevin Hayes each scoring a pair of goals, and Mats Zuccarello recording a three point night. Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves to improve to 8-1-0 in his last nine starts and 9-4-0 this season.
The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games, including an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12. They also dominated the Canadiens in a 10-0 win back on Nov. 4, the only team to score 10 goals in a game. Columbus has scored 47 goals this season, but 18 of them have come in two games. So despite their good record, they have had some issues scoring goals at times. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers sweep Canada trip with 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks
Bobby Bevilacqua

Despite playing their third game in four nights and getting shelled in the first period, the Rangers (13-4-0) managed to come out of Vancouver with a 7-2 win thanks to an incredible offensive outburst from the team.
The Rangers got two goals apiece from JT Miller and Kevin Hayes, plus a three point night from Mats Zuccarello with a goal and two assists. Brandon Pirri (GWG) and Nick Holden also found the back of the net, while Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Klein and Jesper Fast each recorded two assists. Henrik Lundqvist was spectacular, making 36 saves to pick up his ninth win of the season.
For a box score, click here. Keep reading for my recap and thoughts on the game; Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Roundup: A win in Edmonton and updates on Kreider, Buchnevich
Bobby Bevilacqua

The Rangers (12-4-0) started off their two game road trip with back-to-back contests against the Flames and the Oilers, picking up two wins after a strange game last night in Edmonton.
Chris Kreider missed the game with what the team is calling an “upper body injury,” and just minutes before the game, it was announced that Pavel Buchnevich wouldn’t play because of back spasms. So Vigneault had to dress Adam Clendening in order to reach the required 18 skaters.
Somehow, someway the team managed to grind out a 3-1 win to pick up their 12th win of the season, and their seventh win in the last eight games. Antti Raanta was spectacular in his fifth start of the season, making 38 saves and improving to 4-0-0 with a .938 save percentage. Michael Grabner scored another two goals, giving him 10 this season, and Dan Girardi scored his third goal, which was the game winner. Read the rest of this entry