The Rangers (35-26-4) meet the Hurricanes (27-28-9) for the second time in five days in North Carolina. New York, who has beaten Carolina 11 straight times dating back to 2011 - yes, I know kiss of death - defeated the 'Canes 4-2 Friday, rallying in the third period. After losing to Philly and Boston in regulation, the Rangers lost in a shootout to Toronto on trade deadline day, then followed those losses up with wins at Carolina and Sunday at home against Detroit. The Hurricanes have lost seven of eight to fall back in the playoff hunt, as they now are eight points from a berth, after briefly rallying to get into contention.
Despite the bobble right after the Olympic break, the Rangers are 20-9-3 since Dec. 15, when they were 15-17-1, 14-6-1 in their last 21 and 8-3-1 in their past 12 to vault back into second place in the Metro Division. While first place in the division is likely unattainable given the lead Pittsburgh has, finishing second would give the Rangers home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which has proven valuable to NY the past several post-seasons. Plus, if the team can get past Pitt in the second round of the playoffs, depending on what happens to Boston, having the edge on points on whoever comes out of the Atlantic Division could impact home-ice advantage in the ECF. Of course, this is putting the cart before the horse, since right now goal one has to be getting wins and locking in a playoff berth, with seeding an ancillary concern.
Projected Lineup:
RANGERS
Kreider – Stepan – Nash Hagelin – Richards – St. Louis Pouliot – Brassard – Zuccarello Boyle – Moore – Dorsett
(based on Dorsett coming off ice early and AV talking to Carcillo, this change could occur tonight. Unsure why you mess with success, especially when fourth line was solid Sunday)
McDonagh – Girardi Staal – Stralman Moore – Klein
Henrik Lundqvist (starting) Cam Talbot
A few keys for me/what I expect tonight and great job by Matt Karash spelling out the Canes side of the equation: (http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Matt-Karash/Carolina-Hurricanes-Game-Day-Preview-Vs-NYR----Familiar-foe-returns/56/58609)
1) Continued solid play from Derek Stepan - Stepan will always be a polarizing figure among Rangers fans, with most thinking NY could do a heck of a lot better than him as the top center. Of course, that ignores the facts of Stepan being fairly cheap for his role, decently productive, excellent defensively, which helps out his linemates and that the team doesn’t truly have a "top" line as any of the first three can fill that role. Whatever you think of him, Stepan, as coach Alain Vigneault said tongue-in-check, has "stepped up" his play since the Olympics with a six-game point streak.
2) Martin St. Louis breakout - St. Louis had had some moments his first three games with the Rangers, but he has yet to score a goal or have a signature play, though his cross-ice feed to Stepan for his goal Friday could qualify as that. It's a hunch, but I expect that to change tonight, either by a goal or a big play by St. Louis.
3) Special teams - while as I mentioned yesterday, I am not in love with how the power play is set up through the neutral zone, once they gain the opposing blue line, they have been much better. Skill-wise, they have the talent to continually generate chances on both lines, while the penalty kill has been a major plus for the team. Either one will make the difference tonight.
The Blueshirts, who boast the best road record in the Eastern Conference (19-11-0), kick off their three-game road trip Tuesday, with contests to follow away from MSG against the Wild on Thursday and the Jets on Friday, before returning home to host the Sharks on Sunday. After that game, the Rangers go back on the road for three more, ultimately playing 11 of their last 17 in road whites. Tonight, Henrik Lundqvist, who notched win #300 and shutout #49 Sunday, gets a chance at tying Mike Richter for most wins and possibly breaking the tie with Ed Giacomin for most shutouts as a Rangers goalie.