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Rangers - with revised lines again - take on Panthers at MSG

January 23, 2023, 11:07 PM ET [105 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Rangers play the first of their three games before their calendar and the All-Star break tonight at home against the Panthers. Florida comes in hot to get back into Wild Card contention, as they now sit three points shy of the second Wild Card spot, though Pittsburgh - who holds the spot - has two games in hand. Tonight's lineup will be almost the same as Thursday night and as they were in practice yesterday, meaning Julien Gauthier, who is now off injured reserve, slides back onto the fourth line. 

Rangers lineup:
Kreider -Zibanejad-Panarin
Vesey-Trocheck-Goodrow
Lafrenière -Chytil-Kakko
Kravtsov-Leschyshyn-Gauthier

Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Harpur-Schneider

Shesterkin
Halák

Scratches: Hajek, Blais

The revised lines get their first starring moment tonight. To me, the first and third lines are the offensive lines, or  they better be, as if not, New York is in trouble. Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin will decide who plays on their off side, which is interesting in its own light. The revised second, which is really the third, line with Vincent Trocheck, becomes the "physical, grinding type" line with a defensive mindset, which is ironic given the view of what Vincent Trohceck has shown this year in his own end. Unsure how to classify the fourth line, as it's a co-mingling of styles with no true defined strength. Though the weakness would look to be defensively, making this trio as the bottom grouping more than somewhat odd.

I will reserve full judgment until I see how these groupings pan out. What this does show is that New York should and likely will be in the market for a top-six right winger if coach Gerard Gallant plans to leave the Kid Line together. That crutch, based on the view that Laf and Kakko defer to their more senior linemates when moved on those lines,  is one that is relied upon way too frequently. The view Gallant has may be mildly accurate for Laf but is far off base based on what we saw from Kakko on the top line. But this is where we are right now, though that could change again mid-game. 

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