The Rangers complete their three-game Western Canada swing in Calgary tonight. New York (14-10-4) comes in having won three in a row; aiming for their first four-game win streak of the season. In addition, this is the 20th time New York has played in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary on a road trip and if they win, it will be the first in their history the team has won all three games. Calgary (17-13-2), after a hot start to the season, has lost five in a row. It's a reunion for a pair of rookies - Kevin Hayes and Johnny Gaudreau - who both played for Boston College last season.
For New York, the key will be to play like they did against Vancouver rather than the performance versus Edmonton. Against the Canucks, the Rangers quickly transitioned from defense to offense, using their speed to create opportunities, resulting in a 5-0 lead after two periods. While the Rangers took their foot off the gas pedal, they had more than enough for a 5-1 victory.
Sunday, the Rangers allowed Edmonton to dictate the action. The Blueshirts were content to clog the neutral zone, limit chances and capitalize on the one real chance they had. While that may have worked, a similar style likely won’t against Calgary, as even though they have lost five in a row, the team is not adrift and rudderless, as Edmonton is. Coach Bob Hartley still has the Flames playing hard nightly, and despite the five defeats in a row, they still are in the thick of the playoff hunt two months into the season.
New York will again be without Derick Brassard, who is sidelined with the mumps. As such, J.T. Miller fills in for the second straight game as the top line center and he will have his hands full against Sean Monahan, who is having a breakout season. This would seem to be a game where Chris Kreider's size and speed could make a difference, depending on the line matchups. The blue line will have Matt Hunwick in for John Moore. AV said he is not "dishappy" with Moore but didn't want Hunwick to sit for too long, but Moore was pinned to the pine for much of the third Sunday, so this isn't a big shock.
The defense will have their hands full, as Calgary does have some skilled players beyond Monahan, with the second line of Gaudreau-Josh Jooris-Jiri Hudler possibly even more dangerous than the top line centered by Monahan. Raphael Diaz faces his former teammates tonight while I am really looking forward to seeing T.J. Brodie, who is having a breakout season, and Marc Giordano. Dennis Wideman has become a major weapon from the blue line, so the defenseman match ups will be something to keep an eye on as well.
RANGERS:
Nash-Miller-Zucc Kreider-Stepan-St. Louis Hagelin-Hayes-Stempniak Glass-D. Moore-Fast
McDonagh - Girardi Staal - Boyle Hunwick- Klein
Lundqvist
FLAMES:
Joe Colborne-Sean Monahan-David Jones Johnny Gaudreau-Josh Jooris-Jiri Hudler Curtis Glencross-Markus Granlund-Paul Byron Mason Raymond-Matt Stajan-Lance Bouma
Mark Giordano (captain)-TJ Brodie Kris Russell-Dennis Wideman Raphael Diaz-Deryk Engelland
Karri Ramo (Jonas Hiller backup)
Following tonight's game, the Rangers have three days off before they kick off a home-and-home with Carolina on Saturday. They complete the road trip Saturday and play at MSG on Sunday.