The New York Rangers roster is beginning to recover from injuries while they head west for a much-needed road trip.
The New York Rangers will warmly embrace a west coast road trip as they look to extend their 26-9-1 road record. Tonight, the Blueshirts will look to take down a struggling Los Angeles Kings team. The Kings are battling for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.The Kings are eight points back of the Nashville Predators and would have to mount an unlikely run of wins in order to jump into the show. Nevertheless, the Kings are not statistically out and will be battling hard to defeat the Rangers.
The New York Rangers lineup is starting to take shape as Dan Girardi has recovered from his ankle injury. Girardi will be inserted into the lineup next to captain Ryan McDonagh tonight against the Los Angles Kings. The Staples Center in Los Angeles has been a real life hell for Dan Girardi. Let’s remember the turnover, trip, and another turnover play that cost us game one of the Stanley Cup in 2014, and likely the series.
Alain Vigneault has also announced that Kevin Klein is healthy and poised to return during this three-game road trip. AV explained that Kleiner is ready to go but the coaching staff was uncomfortable with inserting both post injury players into the lineup the same night.
Look for Klein to get reinserted into the lineup on Sunday pending the play of other defenseman tonight. A healthy Rangers defense core adds competition and will hopefully spark player performance.
The King Returns
The most important news this week was the return of the King, Henrik Lundqvist. Hank will man the crease against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. Henrik was quoted post-practice on Friday saying:
“I just want to play. I miss the game”.
Let’s hope Henrik is ready to take his game to the next level. Our chances in the playoffs are going to ride on his performance.
The Rangers have eight games remaining including tonight, with two back-to-back scenarios. AV anticipates that Hank will likely get 6 out of the next 8 games meaning he will play every game minus any back-to-back starts.
The Rangers road success might be the perfect cure to their home woes. If the boys can pull together a successful west coast swing it could trigger some confidence and translate to better play at home. The New York Rangers have three remaining home games to figure out how to win at MSG. These game will be hard fought as we battle the Pittsburgh Penguins twice and the Philadelphia Flyers.
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