The Rangers look to get back on track in Montreal. After a 9-1-1 stretch, New York has lost three of four games, two of which came on the road, continuing their pattern away from MSG. The Blueshirts are just 3-7-2 in the road whites with all three wins coming in a shootout. Following tonight's game, New York is home tomorrow on Vic Hadfield night versus the Jets.
With Mats Zuccarello and Vladislav Namestnikov not making the trip as well as Pavel Buchnevich and Cody McLeod sidelined, New York went with an 11/7 alignment Thursday versus Ottawa with Brendan Smith sliding up to forward. Tonight, the Rangers will have a more traditional alignment following the call up of Vinni Lettieri.
The lines will be: Jimmy Vesey-Mika Zibanejad-Jesper Fast Chris Kreider-Kevin Hayes-Filip Chytil Lias Andersson-Brett Howden-Ryan Strome Vinni Lettieri-Steven Fogarty-Tim Gettinger
Personally, though, I would have moved Fast back up to the first line and understand why Vesey was moved up, though I might have left Strome play there. My rationale is that Howden, who hasn't been the same since he missed a game with the upper-body injured, and Vesey have shown some chemistry in the past. Moving Kreider back on the line with Hayes and Chytil, maintaining that chemistry, makes the most sense. Coach David Quinn has options, he needs to maximize the scoring potential, hopefully these tweaks help.
Kevin Shattenkirk, who was scratched for the third period against the Senators, will be in the lineup. His benching did not look performance related, as 'Kirk had played 13:58 through the first two stanzas and was one of the few that had played fairly well. The question then was why he was sat. Was it insubordination or another reason? The NY Post reported last night "that an emotional Shattenkirk said something on the bench toward the end of the second period the coach deemed out of order. And so Quinn immediately sat the 29-year-old with whom he has had a close relationship for more than a decade."
The two sides have moved past that issue, aided by the history amongst the duo, which is why Shattenkirk is back in the lineup. What he said is not yet known, but the comment (s) must have been at a level that Quinn felt he couldn't overlook. But the reaction from each is what you would like to see even when an incident such as this occurs.
“We talked about it, we’re fine and we’ve moved on,… said Shattenkirk, who will rejoin partner Freddy Claesson against the Habs. “I think having the relationship we do makes it somewhat easier to understand each other and to not have anything linger.“Sometimes the game can get frustrating, and I can be an emotional guy, but what happened is behind us. We both move past things pretty quickly. With our background, it was easier to approach him and have an adult conversation. There’s mutual respect, and I have great respect for him as a coach. So now I get back to the job.…
Interestingly enough, Quinn said he thought having the type of relationship he does with Shattenkirk made the aftermath of the benching, “probably a little more difficult.… But, the coach added, “When you make those decisions, you just make them, because it needs to happen.
“There’s zero issue moving forward.…
Beyond Shattenkirk-Claesson, the rest of the D is unknown. I would expect Marc Staal and Neal Pionk to remain together. Then the decision comes down to Smith, Tony DeAngelo and Brady Skjei. Smith just returned to the lineup, as did ADA while Sklei sat relatively recently. DeAngelo, who was on ice for all three goals Ottawa scored, will be the odd-man out.
As mentioned by Larry Brooks and an area we all have noticed, the work ethic and attention to detail in all three zones that was a hall mark of the 9-1-1 have been lacking the past four games. New York isn't talented enough in general, but especially shorthanded, not to work hard throughout a game. Effort beats talent when the talent lacks effort. The Rangers need to have more of a lunchpail mentality, especially on the road, for the squad to win. With Alexandar Georgiev between the pipes tonight, hopefully we see the right level of effort.
William Nylander signed a six-year deal with a $6.9 million AAV just minutes before the deadline. The question now becomes how long does he stay in Toronto? Bad feelings exist on both sides and Nylander likely wanted and expected a higher AAV. The Maple Leafs still have to sign Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to long-term deals while upgrading their defense. Wonder if locking up Nylander makes it increasingly more likely he will be dealt.