The Rangers battle the Hurricanes at MSG tonight with first place in the Metro on the line. Carolina is 47-18-8 and has a two point lead on New York, who come in 47-20-6. Both teams have nine games remaining including a second matchup two weeks from tonight.
This is the third time this season the teams have met. In the first, Carolina dominated action, winning 6-3. On March 20, Alexandar Georgiev stood on his head, making 44 saves in notching a 2-0 shutout. New York comes in following two days off after the playoff clinching 5-1 win Saturday over Ottawa.
Winning the division would be nice, but it’s not a requirement. Who New York will face has yet to be decided. If the Rangers finish second in the Metro, Pittsburgh or Washington, who sit four points shy of the Penguins with a pair of games in hand, would be the opponent. Pittsburgh will play half of their remaining eight games without Evgeni Malkin, who was suspended yesterday for his cross check if Mark Borowiecki. If per chance the Blueshirts win the division, Tampa or Boston would line up opposite them, though Toronto is not yet locked into second in the Atlantic.
I would expect tonight’s lineup to be the same as Saturday. Patrik Nemeth did not practice yesterday due to personal reasons and is a probable scratch for the third time in four games. The only possible change is if Filip Chytil, who missed Saturday’s contest with a minor upper-body injury, is healthy enough to dress. Coach Gerard Gallant did not seem to be overly inclined to rest players down the stretch based on his comments yesterday. But if the team gets locked into a specific playoff seed, that view might change.
Kaapo Kakko, who returned to game action Saturday after missing 31 games with a left wrist or hand injury, used his time “away… wisely. Kakko worked out, adding bulk, which should serve him well for the playoff grind. He only saw 13:01 of ice time Saturday, a number that should increase the final nine games of the season as he regains his conditioning. Kakko played with Alexis Lafrenière and Barclay Goodrow against Ottawa, but that lone could change once Chytil returns from his injury. At that point, the Kid Line of Laf-Chytil-Kakko may be reunited. One main downside of that grouping is the issues between the faceoff dots, which is why Goodrow might be used for defensive or key draws and then come off the ice
When the Kid Line unit is reunited, Goodrow drops to the fourth line. Who he is joined by is up in the air. Kevin Rooney, who also returned from his injury Saturday, Jonny Brodzinski, Dryden Hunt and Ryan Reaves all are options, as Tyler Motte is not available. Brodzinski and Hunt provide speed while Rooney and Reaves bring a physical presence. If Goodrow slides in at center, we could see Brodzinski-Goodrow-Hunt, but I expect to see Rooney, due to his PK and faceoff ability (at least compared to Chytil), with Brodzinski or Hunt lining up next to him. When/if Motte returns, I expect him as a staple on that fourth grouping alongside Goodrow and probably Rooney.
One more thing, Chris Kreider goes for goal #50.