The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils run it back at the Prudential Center for a Saturday afternoon rematch following the Rangers 6-1 win Thursday Night. The Rangers look to continue to build on their recent success and establish a winning streak as the road trip continues. Some good news for this Rangers team is Kaapo Kakko will make his return to the lineup after missing the last couple of games from Covid-19 Protocol. Alexandar Georgiev will get the start following the injury Igor Sheshterkin suffered in the third period Thursday night. Former Devil, Keith Kinkaid will make his NYR debut as the backup goaltender today.
Thankfully, Igor Sheshterkin's injury does not seem to be as serious as it looked. Following evaluations, he is now listed as day-to-day with a mild groin strain. This is certainly good news for the young Russian net minder as well as the Rangers team as a whole. While the injury may be considered day-to-day, if I'm David Quinn and the coaching staff, I am in no rush to get Igor on the ice again. While the injury is mild, you do not want it to become a recurring injury or something that builds up to something more serious. The Rangers are in good hands with Alexandar Georgiev and giving Keith Kinkaid some starts is not going to be a deciding factor in whether this team wins or loses. A solid plan for the foreseeable future is letting Georgiev go back to back this weekend, let Kinkaid start Tuesday and then let Georgiev go Thursday and Saturday against Boston.
Now for the million dollar question; With Kakko returning, what does this mean for the lines? It appears he will rejoin Kreider and Strome on that second line, moving Blackwell back down in the depth charts. Mika will remain on the top line with Buchnevich and Lafreniere at least to start the game. Piecing together the bottom six will certainly be a challenge, Colin Blackwell was the odd man out during line rushes in practice and DQ mentioned he thought he struggled in the last game. While scratching Colin Blackwell will certainly have fans in an uproar, it appears that will be the move. Blackwell hasn't played much center this season , Chytil still hasn't been taking many face-offs, delegating those to Kevin Rooney and Julien Gauthier has earned his role on that third line. Look for that line to stay the same, leaving Howden, Lemieux, Di Giuseppe and Blackwell for the fourth line. The decision will more likely than not come down to Blackwell or Di Giuseppe and don't be surprised if it's Blackwell, making today's lineup:
Lafreniere - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Kreider - Strome - Kakko
Rooney - Chytil - Gauthier
Lemieux - Howden - Di Giuseppe
Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Smith
Johnson - Hajek
Jacob Trouba continues to skate in a no contact jersey so look for his return to come further down this stretch of road games. A Rangers win today will put them a win above .500 so while every game coming up is important for this team, this one is certainly a big one. The Devils continue to struggle and haven't been very good on home ice, New York needs to come out flying and carry Thursday night's momentum into this afternoon. Lindy Ruff will return to Mackenzie Blackwood despite pulling him in the third period Thursday night. Look to get pucks on net any way you can, tip ins, deflections, rebounds are all going to be the Blueshirts' best friend when it comes to beating him. We're reaching the point where every game is going to be the one we hope Zibanejad breaks out in but between the benching in the last game and yesterday being one year to date since his five goal night, don't be surprised if he plays with a little extra fire tonight.
Chris Feldman
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