The Rangers complete their three-game Western Canada swing tonight in Vancouver. New York is looking for a bit of revenge after dropping a 5-3 decision to the Canucks last Tuesday at MSG. Following tonight's game, the Rangers face Columbus on the road Friday.

Chris Kreider has headed back to NY for an examination on what is believed to be a neck injury. Lots of speculation as to what it could be, but with no word as to exactly where the injury is or what it is, it is pure speculation. Hopefully, it's nothing that will sideline him long term (meaning not a disc or nerve issue) but until the results of the exam are announced, all that can be said is CK20 will not play tonight and probably not Friday.

Pavel Buchnevich missed Sunday's game with a recurrence of the back spasms that cost him four games earlier this year. It's possible that his body is adapting to the extra weight he added to prepare for the long NHL season and contact that is part of the game. That too is speculation, though it does seem plausible, but the ailment could be a result of some of the hits Buch has taken. It's unclear whether he will be able to go tonight.

If Buch can't play, Cristoval "Boo" Nieves, who was called up Monday, will make his NHL debut. Nieves, a second-round draft pick in 2012, played for Michigan, where he had 31 points in 35 games in his senior year as a Wolverine and won 59.5 percent of faceoffs. He drew the attention of the team's coaching staff via his play when he captained the Rangers’ prospect team in the Traverse City Tournament in September. The Rangers could have called up Tanner Glass or Marek Hrivik or Nicklas Jensen but each of them might have to pass through waivers to go back down to the AHL, which might have played a part in not calling one of that trio up. (Update: per the CBA, if a player clears waivers at the start of the season and then is called up again, he does not need to clear waivers when sent down again unless he has played ten games or has been with the NHL club for 30 days).

Instead, New York opted for Nieves, whose size (6-3, 220) and speed fit perfectly with the style of play the Rangers utilize, which is why he likely got the call. Nieves got off to a slow start at Hartford but has a goal and five assists in 13 games for the Wolf Pack with four of those points coming in the last seven games. If he does play Tuesday, Nieves likely will be the fourth-line center, between Brandon Pirri and Oscar Lindberg.

The rest of the lineup will be the same as Saturday and Sunday's wins, though the lines will be shuffled. If Buch is out, Michael Grabner should once again be with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash, as he was Sunday. Look for Jimmy Vesey or J.T. Miller to get moved up to play Mats Zuccarello with Mika Zibanejad and either Vesey or Miller paired with Kevin Hayes and Oscar Lindberg. On defense, Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, Marc Staal with Brady Skjei and Nick Holden with Kevin Klein. Henrik Lundqvist, who got Sunday off, will be back between the pipes.

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