With seven games remaining, the Rangers are in the final stretch of this unusual season, back at it tonight with the Buffalo Sabres. The teams are coming off the Rangers 6-3 win over Buffalo on Sunday and the Rangers will look for more of the same. For the most part, the Rangers looked pretty solid. I wouldn't say it was a complete effort to get the win but they got it and at this point in the season, especially given their position, that is almost all that matters. The other thing that matters, is development and that piece of the puzzle is starting to come together as well.
David Quinn has (finally) moved Alexis Lafreniere up to the first line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich and has looked pretty darn good since the promotion. In his last two games, he has registered three points with a goal against Philly and assists in each of the last two. Along with his production on the ice, there's another important aspect to Alexis Lafreniere that is surfacing. His presence with the team is already being noticed, he's always smiling, "laffing", hugging everyone when the team is winning. He has a very personable presence which is everything you want to see in a potential franchise player. It's taken some time but he is certainly finding his place with this team and we are only just starting to scratch the surface.
As far as development, promotions and rewarding efforts go, Vitali Kravtsov might be next. It's no secret that David Quinn has flirted with Kravtsov on the second line but he has yet to commit to it or even start the game off with him there. However, the time for that may be now. Colin Blackwell did not skate yesterday as he was given a maintenance day as a result of getting a little banged up in Sunday's game. While Quinn assured that he should be good to go tonight, why wouldn't you move a banged up Blackwell down to the fourth line and give Kravtsov the same opportunity as Lafreniere? Not to mention Blackwell is better suited as a fourth liner to begin with and Kravtsov has already spent time on the wing with Panarin and Strome.
That being said expect Quinn to role with the same line up. Jacob Trouba remains day to day with his injury from the Matt Martin hit but did skate on his own which is a good sign. Igor Sheshterkin will start in goal and barring a last minute decision that Blackwell isn't good to go, expect the same line up with a possible shift in lines:
Lafreniere - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Panarin - Strome - Kravtsov*
Kreider - Chytil - Kakko
Howden - Rooney - Blackwell*
Hajek - Fox
Lindgren - Jones
Miller - Smith
I will say, Trouba's presence is severely missed. However, this group of defensemen have really held down the fort and stepped up in his absence. Brendan Smith being one of the more noticeable with his veteran presence and leadership, he has certainly elevated his game. Zac Jones has looked good since joining the line up but with being very new to the league, Quinn was smart to want to stick him with a more stable guy like Lindgren. This gave Hajek more responsibility playing with Fox and honestly, he has been pretty solid in his new role. The only one who has kind of struggled with the new pairings is K'Andre Miller, he's made a couple mistakes, some of which he's made up for but all around he could definitely use some cleaning up in his game.
All in all the Rangers are doing everything they can to keep themselves in the playoff discussion. They need to win out and hope that the Bruins keep losing. It's going to be close but it's not impossible and while the important thing with this group is development, there's no better time to establish winning culture than right out of the gate. This young team is stepping up to the challenging and should cause for a fun end to what has been one of the crazier Rangers seasons in recent history.
Chris Feldman
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