The Rangers return home Wednesday to face the Penguins again to complete their home-and-home battle with Pittsburgh. After falling behind 2-0 and looking bad while doing so. New York rebounded to score three in the second and two in the third to garner a 5-2 win Monday. After today's game, the Rangers head down I-95 to face the Flyers on Friday afternoon before playing Ottawa at home Sunday.
The Rangers will roll out the same lineup as Monday, meaning:
Kreider-Hayes-Zucc, Grabner-Stepan-Nash, Vesey-Pirri-Miller, Lindberg-Jooris-Fast
McD-G, Staal-Holden Skjei-Klein
Matt Puempel, claimed on waivers Monday, will not be in the lineup tonight and likely Friday as well. AV noted that Puempel needs a few practices to be ready, so he might be ready to play Sunday against Ottawa. In addition, Adam Clendening will not play for the eighth straight game and 15 in the team's past 16 games. The one change will be between the pipes, as Henrik Lundqvist starts with Antti Raanta going back to the bench.
Following Monday's win, there was some speculation that Raanta could get the nod again. With that win, he is 5-0-0 record, with a 2.05 goals-against average (GAA) and a .938 save percentage, showing that the possible increased workload he will see this year should be no issue. As noted in the NY Post today, the two-year, $2 million deal he signed this offseason after a terrific first year on Broadway now seems like a steal. It's that contract and performance that leads many of us to believe he could be targeted by Vegas in the expansion draft.
Saying that Raanta maybe should play tonight isn't a smack at Lundqvist. Despite the back-to-back losses to Columbus and Florida, Lundqvist, in his previous 11 starts, is 8-2-1, along with a 1.99 GAA, a .931 save percentage. It's because Raanta was so good and the need to rest Lundqvist liberally during the year why the notion of starting Raanta came up. I get going back to Lundqvist, but also could have seen going with Raanta and using Lundqvist on Friday.
Separately, a credit breach occurred at MSG and several other locations. If you used a credit card to make purchases at MSG or three other locations (see below) from November 9, 2015 to October 24, 2016, you may have had your information taken. Here is the column from CBS New York:
Hackers may have accessed information from people who made purchases at snack bars and merchandise stands, CBS2 reported. Ticket purchases are not included in the warning at this time.The affected locations include Madison Square Garden itself, as well as other venues operated by the Madison Square Garden Company – including Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, and the Chicago Theatre in downtown Chicago.
“After learning of a transaction pattern indicating a potential data security concern, MSG immediately initiated an investigation and engaged leading computer security firms to examine its network, fix the issue and implement enhanced security measures,… the MSG Company said in a statement.
Even though the breach went on for a whole year before anyone found out, David told 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria that he’s not concerned.
The MSG Company said it is now safe to use credit cards at its venues. The company is also saying it will notify customers with information on how they can protect themselves.