The Rangers start a two-game road trip tonight in Detroit, New York comes in having lost three straight, including a 4-3 defeat by the Islanders on Tuesday, Detroit fell 3-2 in a shootout to Montreal on Tuesday. The two teams met last Sunday at MSG with the Blueshirts blowing a two-goal lead, falling 4-3 in overtime. New York takes on Nashville on Saturday and back home Sunday against Arizona.
Tuesday's lines, which were a modification from the prior game, went through another reshuffling yesterday. The below are the projected combinations based on practice Wednesday and the pre-game skate today. Ryan Reaves, Ryan Carpenter and Zac Jones were doing the bag skate, so they likely will be scratched, which means Julien Gauthier and Libor Hajek will be in the lineup.
The keys are: Jimmy Vesey is on the top line, though I don't think that sticks. Artmei Panarin is back with Vincent Trocheck joined by Vitali Kravtsov as a reconstituted second line. The Kid Line is reunited, and with that, as Larry Brooks wrote today, hopefully that comes with an uptick in time on ice. I actually like the fourth line, as Julien Gauthier has shown he deserves a spot. But a decision will need to be made if he is to stick or be sent down as the period where he would not require passing through waivers to go back down is approaching. Sammy Blais has yet to find his form, and on a one-year deal and likely not in NY next season, a decision on his status may be starting to loom.
Kreider - Zib - Vesey Panarin - Trocheck - Kravtsov Laf - Chytil - Kakko Blais - Goodrow - Gauthier
Ryan Lindgren, out the last two games, will be back in the lineup. With his return, the top-four return to prior pairings. Jacob Trouba has been missing practices due to a nagging injury. The dilemma is do you sit Trouba to allow him to heal, which leaves without a key component in the lineup, or have him play through an injury where he is clearly limited? If the team was firing on all cylinders, I think he would be sitting. But with the squad scuffling, no surprise he is out there each game. Hajek replaces Jones again, which makes some sense seeing the performance of this year.
Miller-Trouba Lindgren-Fox Hajek-Schneider
Igor Shesterkin will be in goal and I expect that to be the case Saturday. Look for Jaroslav Halak to face the Coyotes at home Sunday. igor has to be better than we have seen to date.
Shesterkin Halak