The Rangers come home to face Columbus for the second time this season, having dropped a 4-2 decision to several familiar faces on December 12. New York went 3-2 on their recent five-game road trip, ending it with a dominating 7-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday on the heels of a nightmarish loss to the Penguins the night before. Eight times this year the Blueshirts have had a chance to go two games over .500 and we all know what has happened each time, tonight is the ninth opportunity, will they finally break through?
Much of the talk today centered on Larry Brooks' column as to what the Rangers would look to receive if they opted to trade Dan Girardi and begin the reload that Brooks and many believe will be needed for the team to be true Cup contenders. Of course, since we like going a step beyond in the comments to my blog, stopping at Girardi wasn’t an option as Ryan Callahan, another potential UFA and heart and soul player for the team, was added into the mix with the same questions. Those main queries were: should they in general be dealt, does it matter if they would re-sign like Keith Tkachuk did years ago when he was traded as a deadline rental and must a deal of one or both occur for the team to be true Cup Contenders in the near-term? This is a debate and conversation that we will have for the next two months, ebbing and flowing depending on the team is playing and where they are in the standings. Both sides of the equation makes sense, especially if they could get as Brooks suggests a package of two A-rated prospects and a high pick. For now, I am torn between keeping them and making a run or dealing them with the potential of re-signing them, though the years and dollars for each are likely to be prohibitive, possibly forcing a tough decision as to which one is more worthwhile to bring back.
Despite the rare air of seven goals Saturday, the team's pop-gun offense is still struggling. Rich Nash has one goal in his last 11 games and please don't use the excuse he is gripping his stick too tightly with the Olympics on his mind. Derek Stepan, our erstwhile #1 center, has one lamplighter in his last nine contests. Brad Richards, who got off the schneid Saturday, had no goals in 12 goals prior to that marker while Derick Brassard has one in his last 16 games, including zero for eight contests. Yup, clearly a murderers row there, which heaps additional pressure on the defense and goaltending, which for the most part has sagged under that weight. It's with this healthy attack that the Rangers take on the Blue Jackets and 2013 Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky.
The lines tonight will be the same as Saturday, meaning that new acquisition Daniel Carcillo and Justin Falk will watch from the press box. I expect Carcillo to get in on an opponent by opponent basis, when toughness is needed or the team has sagged and may need a boost. When that occurs, JT Miller is likely to be scratched, but for tonight, with Carcillo having not played since December 23 and adapting to a new team, system and time zone, the lineup from the win over Toronto remains intact. That includes back-to-back starts for Michael Del Zotto, who is either being showcased for a deal or whose agents foced Glen Sather's hand to play him. Keeping him in the lineup meant that Conor Allen would be a healthy scratch again, so the team opted to wisely send him to Hartford to play nightly. The only change is between the pipes, where Henrik Lundqvist gets back in with Cam Talbot watching from the bench.
New York kicks off eight of 10 at MSG on Monday, I sure hope they play a lot better than the last time they had an extend run at home. The better item for us to debate, ill 0-for-8 become 1-for-9 or just another blown opportunity?