The Rangers take on the Pacific Division leading Canucks tonight at MSG. Star power will be on display, as each squad has a healthy dose of both of their respective teams. Prior to the season, no one expected Vancouver to be in this position, but their back end, led by Quinn Hughes, and goaltending with Thatcher Demko between the pipes has been better than expected.
Lines: Kreider-Zibanejad-Wheeler Panarin-Trocheck-Lafrenière Othmann-Bonino-Brodzinski Cuylle-Goodrow-Vesey
Lindgren-Fox Miller-Trouba Gustafsson-Schneider
Shesterkin Quick
New York, as in most games, needs to limit time and space through the neutral zone. In this contest, allowing Vancouver to plow through with impunity will end disastrously. In addition, throwing the puck to the middle of their own zone and hoping that it exits the zone without issue is a bad strategy. This is what happened the other night against Montreal and led to the three goals against.
Blake Wheeler starts the game again on the first line. If he struggles again and Will Cuylle is on his game, a swap could occur again. The Cuylle-Goodrow-Vesey trio will be a major key in marking the Elias Pettersson line. Containing that group will go a long way to limiting the Vancouver attack.
Special teams will be a focus. The Rangers have the edge in power play and penalty kill. Vancouver is 22nd in success rate on the PK, at 78.4$, while New York is fifth at an 84.3% kill rate. On the PP, the spread is nearly as wide, though the Canucks are ninth in the league at 23.8% while the Blueshirts are first, connecting on 29.7% of their opportunities, which is down from early last week.
Kaapo Kakko is likely to don a regular practice jersey for New York's next practice. That could put him on pace to dress is one of the home-and-home, back-to-back contests Saturday or Sunday versus the Capitals. If not then, Tuesday versus Seattle at home could be day.