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Rangers Open 2014-15 Preseason Against New Jersey

September 22, 2014, 11:36 AM ET [202 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Gameday. Let that word sink in. Yes, it is the pre-season, but it's a contest in which score is kept, there is a winner and a loser and someone gets a straight line to the right or left of their ledger. The season officially begins on October 9, but the evaluation period starts tonight against New Jersey and continues Friday versus Chicago. The "A" group plays Monday while the "B" group goes Friday, after which, the first round of cuts will take place.

Evan Sporer of SB Nation and Andrew Gross of the Record did excellent summaries of yesterday's intra-squad contest, so the info below is gleaned from both of them with some of my analysis thrown in:

- JT Miller really stood out. We have long spoken about how defenseman growth is not linear, maybe in the case of Miller, it's the same. He is competing hard in all three zones and showing talent in the offensive one. Miller has been one if not the most impressive player so far in camp, and as long as he doesn't collapse over the next two weeks, he should open as the third center on October 9.
- Ryan Haggerty has shown a nose for the net. He scored twice in Traverse City, then lit the lamp again Sunday. Haggerty clearly has offensive talent, and while he is likely ticketed to start the year at Hartford; a strong showing there should result in a call-up during the season.
- Anthony Duclair has some serious jets and is not intimidated on the bigger stages. He has shown the ability to mesh with the upper talent in the organization, not deferring to them when on the ice. Duclair will likely head back to juniors, freeing up a contract to be used if needed, but he oozes talent.
- Marc Staal and Dan Boyle have been and will be paired together. The chemistry will take a while to build, but each are veteran enough to learn on the fly with little degradation compared to the top line. Staal should head cover for Boyle if he rushes, which loks like it will be the case a lot, while Boyle is solid enough defensively to do the same for Staal. Expect some growing pains, but hopefully, it won't take that long for them to mesh.
- Marek Hrivik. A somewhat forgotten prospect, he has shown more grit than we have seen from him in the past. He went hard to the net and engaged in a bit of extra-curricular activity with John Moore. In addition, his attention to his defensive zone was better than in the past.
- In early July, it looked like Oscar Lindberg would break camp with the team. That was before all the signings, which pushed him down the list. Lindberg has played like he feels slighted and deserves a spot, which are good things. He too has been impressive, especially offensively with his vision and passing skils that were on display Sunday.
- The steam truck known as Chris Kreider showed up again Sunday
- Kevin Hayes wasn't as noticeable as others, but still had a solid scrimmage. I think he is a step behind Miller, but a strong game tonight will lock in that he stays the rest of the preseason. After that, it may be a numbers game, but it looks like he has the talent level and size to stick and be successful at this level.
- Dylan Mcilrath still has work to do, so queue up the "who the Rangers passed up to pick him" arguments again
- Derek Stepan out again tonight with his bruised foot. Still early, no reason to up the worry quotient

Lines for tonight against NJ, which was the White team yesterday:

Forwards:

Chris Kreider-Kevin Hayes-Danny Kristo
Ryan Malone-Matthew Lombardi-Marty St. Louis
Carl Hagelin-J.T. Miller-Ryan Bourque
Tanner Glass-Chris Mueller-Jesper Fast

Defense:

Marc Staal-Dan Boyle
John Moore-Michael Kostka
Steven Kampfer-Matt Hunwick
Mantha-Noreau

Goalies:

Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Talbot
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