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Rangers look or two in a row in first of a pair of games in Buffalo

April 1, 2021, 6:53 PM ET [133 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Rangers, on the heels of a solid third period and win Tuesday against the Caps, face the Sabres tonight. Buffalo comes in after their first win in seemingly forever last night against the Flyers. The two teams meet again in Buffalo on Saturday. Igor Shesterkin will be between the pipes again, hopefully a pattern to be seen for the next several weeks.

Thanks for carrying the blog, but holy cow the Quinn talk. I get he is a polarizing figure, but wow. You know my view, I am not as down on him as others. He has flaws and needs to do a better job messaging and managing, especially getting the team ready for game starts and in making adjustments. But I am not a Quinn hater, nor do I think he needs to be run out of town with faming pitchforks. Is he the right coach for this team moving forward? Unsure. If they don't show improvement or his voice no longer resonates, then that will be the case.




I will say I would like to see Vitali Kravtsov in the lineup. Tonight will be the same lineup as the last few nights. Brett Howden is out of protocol but not on the trip. Personally, I would likely move Julien Gauthier to the fourth line and sit PDG. Kravtsov is not a fourth liner and would be miscast there. But if you thunk Quinn is making this decision on your own, you're missing how this operates. But the quotes below don't help his case.

“We certainly recognize with his skill set, he’s not a fourth line type of player,” Quinn explained. “When he does get in, we’re aware of that, we know we need to put him in a position to succeed – That certainly isn’t lost on us as a staff.”





If you want argue that Quinn lost Brendan Lemieux, unsure I agree with you. Lemieux will be missed for his agitative presence, but his role on the team diminished over the past year or so. He was locked into a fourth line role with no PK or PP time. Recognizing that, Lemieux asked for a trade, which was reported by Larry Brooks.

The Post has learned that the Rangers, in dealing Lemieux to the Kings for a fourth-round draft choice last Saturday, were also accommodating a request by the left winger’s camp that he be moved to a team on which he might gain a more meaningful role, which he should receive in LA.

“It’s going to give Pepe an opportunity to maybe play in a little bit more of a role that he’s looking for,” said Quinn before the Rangers played in Buffalo on Thursday. “He was a good player for us and we’re going to miss him.”


Brooks summed it up well: "The Rangers needed to clear space on the roster. They wanted to clear space under the cap. Lemieux asked for the chance to go somewhere else where he might compete for a more meaningful role. Three-for-three. Mission accomplished."

As a reminder, due to the way Passover comes out this year, I am out of pocket starting about 6:30 pm Friday to Sunday night. Will get a new blog up sometime before the next game after the holiday ends. Appreciate you all carrying the blog. 

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