The wait is over, New York Rangers hockey is back! Tonight, we kick off preseason against the New York Islanders right here at home in the world's most famous arena. As Rangers fans eagerly await the sounds of Sam Rosen and Joe Michelleti's voices, there's plenty to digest with this Rangers team, going into the new season. Right from the start of camp, the mindset has been playoffs or bust and there's no better way to carry that mentality than by facing off against your biggest rival, a team who was one win away from a Stanley Cup Final this past summer.
What Can We Expect?
As you can expect with any Rangers, Islanders matchup, look for a physical, high energy game while keeping in mind this is the first official exhibition game for all parties involved. There's going to be some rust, it's not going to be a perfect hockey game, but nevertheless, it's going to be a fun one. As for tonight's lineup, we can expect the following per Vince Mercogliano and Colin Stephenson from USA Today and Newsday Sports respectively who are currently live at the Rangers morning skate...
Kreider - Zibanejad - Lafreniere
Goodrow - Chytil - Kravtsov
Hunt - Barron - Gauthier
Cuylee - Rempe - Henriksson
Lindgren - Fox
Nemeth - Lundkvist
Tinordi - Bitetto
Georgiev
Huska
Line Breakdowns:
One of the main questions going into camp was how the Rangers were going to handle their surplus of left wingers. Panarin is obviously a lock on the left side and then you have Lafreniere and Kreider who both prefer the left. Not to mention, the Rangers now have Barclay Goodrow who despite being able to play anywhere in the lineup, is also best used on the left side. Gallant had noted he wouldn't force Lafreniere to the right side but when the two discussed it, Laf was all for giving it a go. If the Rangers want him on the left, it'll force Kreider to the third line and as much as that could help or hurt the balance of the lines, I just don't see that happening unless there's no other option. With that in mind, Kreider/Zibanejad/Lafreniere will certainly be the highlight line to watch tonight as that can very well be our first line to start the season.
It's safe to assume that Goodrow/Chytil/Kravtsov line will more likely than not be the teams third line this season. It'll be interesting to see how the two youngsters will do on a line with the seasoned vet, two time Stanley Cup champion. As long as Chytil stays healthy and Kravtsov continues to develop, they have the potential to use their skill to generate offense while Goodrow does the dirty work. Hunt/Barron/Gauthier can essentially be looked at as "the fifth line" as the three of them are all battling for a spot on the fourth line or as an extra forward. Blais, Rooney and Reaves will likely be the teams fourth line without much question. If anyone has a chance of beating them for a spot it's Barron for Rooney. Regardless, this is a line to keep an eye on as it'll be interesting to see what kind of chemistry they have and what they can bring to the table. I have Gauthier and Hunt making the team as the extra forwards in my projected opening day line up but if they don't do enough to impress, they'll be a very good first line in Hartford.
Lastly for the forwards, we have Cuylee, Rempe and Henriksson. Will Cuylee easily had one of the most impressive development camps for the Rangers and absolutely earned a look in this preseason opener. His big bodied, physical style will be good to have against the Islanders but as anyone who's paid attention to the development camp has learned, the kid can score goals too. Matthew Rempe is a guy that's earned the right here as well. It was noted during camp that he was more than able to hold his own and even out work some NHL regulars. At 6"7 that's certainly stands to reason, look for him to surprise some people and I'm willing to be he drops the gloves tonight. Karl Henriksson was an interesting choice to me, especially since he is a left-handed center that the Rangers appear to have on the right side tonight. His numbers in the SHL aren't jaw dropping but he's doing pretty well for a young kid playing in a man's league. I'm excited to see how he does on the right wing and curious if he'll do any flip flopping with Rempe at center.
"D" Parings
Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, really not much to talk about there. One's coming off a breakout season, the other just won the Norris, they're going to be our top pairing to start the season, not much of a question. Arguably one of the most exciting things to keep your eyes on tonight is the second pairing, Nils Lundkvist and Patrik Nemeth. I just mentioned Karl Henriksson who had okay numbers as a kid in a man's league, Nils Lundkvist was the best defenseman in that same "man's league." He has the potential to be sort of an Adam Fox round two type of prospect and assuming he keeps his pace, the chances of him making the team are high. The Rangers went out and got Patrik Nemeth, a fellow swede defender to basically compliment Nils' game, Patrik being a more safe bet, stay at home steady defender while Nils can join the rush whenever he has the chance and run as more of an all around defender. Lastly, we have another fresh face in Jarred Tinordi and a fan and team favorite alike in Anthony Bitetto. With Nils and Patrik likely being the teams third pair to start the season, these two will be competing for that seventh defender role. Anything either of them does to stand out tonight will be viewed with a magnifying glass when it comes to deciding the final roster.
It's unclear if Gallant will look to have one goalie play the whole game or split them halfway through. If I had to guess, expect Georgiev to play the first half and give Adam Huska the second. It's pretty clear with Georgiev and Kinkaid both still being in New York there isn't much competition in net, however this will certainly give Huska the opportunity to show what he can do in the event that the Rangers goaltending group runs into injuries. All in all, we should be in for an exciting night of hockey. We know the standards set by the players and organization alike, we know the hype leading into the season, it's time to see it in action!
Chris Feldman
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