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Game 77: NYR-SJ, Miller to 4th line, Buch sits, D-pairs shifted |
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The Rangers complete their three-game California swing tonight against the struggling Sharks. New York, 5-6-2 in their last 13 games, needs one point to lock up a playoff berth for the seventh straight season and 11th time in the past 12. San Jose has lost six in a row to fall out of first place in the Pacific Division, two points behind Anaheim and tied with Edmonton, just one point ahead of Calgary. So the Rangers will be facing a desperate team, who is also without an injured Logan Couture.
Coach Alain Vigneault has the blender out for this one, mixing lines and d-pairings. Several of the decisions, including who is out of the lineup, are curious. Some may be chalked up to experimentation while one especially look like a punishment.
The top lines remain the same:
Kreider-Stepan-Zuccarelli
Nash-Zibanejad-Vesey
Zibanejad has four goals and five assists in his last 11 games while Stepan and Nash have each gotten hot. The question is do you think Vesey is a second liner or fourth liner or third liner?
Now is where it gets funky:
Grabner-Hayes-Fast
Puempel-Lindberg-Miller
AV is clearly calling out Miller for his recent rash of turnovers and rough patch of play. One goal in 16 games is not enough to move him but own zone turnovers must be. If that doesn't annoy you enough, sitting Buch for Puempel should. Buch had a difficult time against Anaheim, no question. But the only way he will get better and can compete against that kind of team is to play. Sitting him makes no sense, especially for Puempel, who along with Pirri, sitting again today, has done nothing to deserve a spot in the lineup. This move annoys the tar out of me, let alone Fast again on the third line, thought you know you will get effort from him. Could we see Tanner Glass again?
I would play Miller on the second line, Vesey on the third with Buchnevich, move Grabner to the fourth line with Fast.
On D, a few small tweaks:
McDonagh-Girardi,
Staal-Skjei,
Smith-Holden
Girardi gets back in for Klein, whose back spasms started up again and was likely to be scratched. G was okay not great against LA but gets right back into the first line. We have discussed playing him second or third line minutes and on the PK but that's not happening. The struggling duo of Staal and Holden get broken up, finally. Staal is with Skjei, who and not Staal moves to his off side. That means Holden is paired with Smith. The next step for Holden and maybe Staal, if these moves don't work out, is the bench, but I could see Holden benched before Staal. Though that might mean Adam Clendening or Steven Kampfer get in, which is unlikely.
Henrik Lundqvist makes his second straight start after allowing five goals Sunday versus the Ducks in his first start since March 7. Lundqvist needs to scrape off the rust and find the focus he had when he was hot. Look for him to start five of the last six games to help him regain his form.
As noted by others, Vinni Lettieri, 22, a free-agent forward from the University of Minnesota, agreed to an entry-level contract with the Rangers yesterday. He scored 19 goals in his senior year and was swayed to sign with New York by his former teammate, Skjei, and Stepan. In addition, New York signed Vince Pedrie, 23, who skated in 39 games this season with Penn State, registering eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points, along with a plus-27 rating and 24 penalty minutes. He was selected to the Big Ten First All-Star Team and the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, as he helped Penn State win the Big Ten Championship. Pedrie forgoes his last two years in college to sign with New York.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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