Most important game of the season thus far? It very well might be for this Rangers group who will desperately be trying to break out of yet another slump this season. After a disappointing end result against the Islanders on Tuesday, the Rangers are back at it for round two with the Red Wings this season. These teams met just the other day when the Red Wings came back and beat the Rangers in overtime in an extremely disappointing showing. After playing the Rangers, Detroit took the Montreal Canadiens to a shootout where they fell short in the second attempt of the third round. The Red Wings are 7-3-3 on the season and have won three of their last four. It’s not going to be an easy two points for the Rangers by any means but it’ll certainly be a necessary two points.
The Rangers saw Alex Nedeljkovic in net on Sunday but will likely be up against Ville Husso, their usual starter tonight. Husso is 5-1-2 on the season with a .941 SV% and two shutouts in that span. The Rangers are likely going to need another 40+ shots on goal kind of night and need to focus more on getting pucks on net instead of excessively passing the puck looking for the perfect plays. To no one’s surprise, the Red Wings are currently being led by their two bright stars in Lucas Raymond and Mo Seider who respectively lead the team in goals and assists over the last five games. One name that may be a bit of a surprise is Dominik Kubalik who currently leads Detroit in goals and points on the season. (10 goals, 16 points). The Rangers should be quite familiar with Kubalik who put an end to their night on Sunday at the Garden.
On the Rangers end, things will look a little different yet again on the line combination front. The most notable and exciting change will be the reunion of the Kid Line as Kakko joins Lafreniere and Chytil on what is technically considered the third line. Kreider rejoins his bestie on the top line, this time to be joined by Jimmy Vesey on the right side with Kravtsov on the right of Trocheck and Panarin. It’s safe to assume this is what the top nine will look like in Detroit tonight, however it’s the fourth line that’s left up in the air. Both Julien Gauthier and Ryan Lindgrne who have been day-to-day were participants in yesterday’s practice, likely ready to go tonight. Lindgren is a no-brainer to return if medically cleared but can the same be said for Julien Gauthier?
Gauthier has looked great since his call up and frankly, has earned a spot with this team. The question is, if Gauthier is now a lock on the fourth line, who comes out? Ryan Reaves hasn’t played in the last couple days now but the likeliness of him being sent to Hartford is almost nonexistent. In fact, Reaves does have that 35+ term in his contract which certainly may prohibit any roster moves involving him. This leaves Ryan Carpenter, Sammy Blais and Barclay Goodrow. Goodrow isn’t going anywhere considering he’s versatile, a part of the leadership group and has a modified no trade clause. This leaves Sammy Blais and Ryan Carpenter. I’ve been a big Blais defender ever since the Rangers traded for him, however, I am starting to question how long of a leash the Rangers will have with him. I talked in length about the benefit of the doubt he should be given coming back from such serious injuries but given the salary cap situation, the Rangers could definitely benefit from that $1.5 mil…
Frankly, fans and the organization alike should not give up hope on the kid and as a result, it isn’t worth risking him to waivers. I do, however, wonder if the Rangers could loan him to Hartford on a temporary assignment, kind of like what they’ve done with Libor Hajek in the past. It’s an interesting thought for sure and if it would free the Rangers up of his cap hit, even for just a week, now could be a good time to do it. Goodrow-Carpenter-Gauthier is a fine fourth line and a temporary assignment could also benefit Blais, at the very least in an attempt to get his offensive confidence back. Something to think about for sure as Ryan Carpenter who has Gallants trust and all the intangibles NHL teams love, likely isn’t going anywhere either.
That being said, expect the following for tonight’s game in Detroit:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Vesey
Panarin - Trocheck - Kravtsov
Lafreniere - Chytil - Kakko
Goodrow - Carpenter - Blais/Gauthier
Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Hajek - Schneider
Assuming Lindgren returns to the lineup, it very well could be a coin toss on who gets scratched between Jones and Hajek. Hajek did play rather well in the Rangers most recent outing with the Islanders. Given how tight the competition apparently is between the two and how Jones ended up getting benched when they played the Red Wings last (five days ago) I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Hajek gets this one in favor of Jones. Another interesting topic of conversation is Jaconb Trouba who apparently has been dealing with a nagging injury, which would very well explain his recent lackluster performance. One of the main points fans have been making as a result of word on that coming out is why play him if he’s nursing an injury? This all goes back to the Rangers big problem of depth on the back end.
Now more than ever, management really needs to keep their eyes and ears on any potential trade to bring in a veteran, depth defender on a cap friendly contract. With Lindgren going down and now Trouba apparently nursing an injury, the team needs a reliable presence on the back end. The Bruins have put defenseman Mike Rielly on waivers twice now and while there is no way the Rangers can afford to claim him and his $3 mil contract, you have to wonder if the Rangers can make an offer to bring him in with Boston retaining half the contract. This may not be the best move but it’s a good example of what kind of ideas management needs to start brainstorming to address the problems on the back end.
In net tonight, you can expect to once again see Igor Shesterkin who is in desperate need of a dominant performance to remind not only Rangers fans, but the hockey world who won the Vezina Trophy last season. This Rangers group should have enough built up energy to go into Motown and demand a win but they need their goalie to come up with the simple saves. It’s the clean shots and controlling rebounds that will be the difference maker, two things Igor hasn’t necessarily been at his best with so far this season.
As I mentioned at the top, this is a crucial game for the Rangers and everyone in that locker room seems to be aware of it. They are long overdue for a response that gets them out of this mental funk that has cost them six losses in their last ten and tonight needs to be that night for them. They’re essentially going back to how they intended to start the season with the Kid Line, Kravtsov with Panarin/Trocheck and now Vesey instead of Blais with Kreibanejad. It couldn’t hurt to look at this as a restart of the season. Again, part of why none of us are happy with the Rangers start to the year is because the expectations are so high. They aren’t in a terrible spot so why not look at this as an opportunity to sort of restart? If the team goes 5-1 in this stretch leading up to Thanksgiving, they’ll be in real good shape and there’s no reason not to believe that this group has it in them to do it. No doubt tonight will be one of the more exciting games of the season so get ready to kick off the long weekend with a huge hockey game for the Blueshirts!
Chris Feldman
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