A rematch with the Kings, join the live conversation
By Steve Paulus
It’s revenge time for the New York Rangers as they take on the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden tonight. They will be looking to get even for a 3-1 spanking at the hands of the Kings on January 10 in Los Angeles. The game wasn’t as close as the score indicates as the Rangers were overwhelmed by L.A.’s speedy transition game. The Blueshirts will have to be ready to play at puck drop, unlike in their last two games.
The Rangers made some roster moves today with Kaapo Kakko going on Injured Reserve with an upper body injury. Morgan Barron came off the Taxi Squad and practiced with the team so it looks like he will be in the lineup.
UPDATE: Morgan Barron has been recalled from the taxi squad and Jarred Tinordi has been assigned to the taxi squad. Kaapo Kakko was placed on IR (upper body).
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 24, 2022
Goaltender Adam Huska was restored to the Taxi Squad and Assistant Coach Gord Murphy was cleared from the COVID protocol.
Major lineup changes
It appears that Kakko will be out for a while as Gerard Gallant said that he is week-to-week while Filip Chytil is definitely out of the lineup but is day-to-day. It looks like Artemi Panarin will be moved up to the first line with Kreider and Zibanejad. Gallant said that it worked well in the last game. “He might start there tonight, then we’ll see. Again, is it going to be long term? Maybe, but probably not. We’ll see, mix and match our lines a little bit…it’s about our team, not about one line. Whatever makes us better. It made us better last game so we’ll see where it goes tonight.”
That means a new second line with Ryan Strome centering Alexis Lafrenière on his natural left side with Barclay Goodrow on the right wing.
Gallant also said that he is seriously considering going with seven defensemen and 11 forwards. He hinted that one of the defensemen is “banged up” and said that he like the three line rotation from Saturday night. He used Kevin Rooney as center for both the third and fourth lines. If that happens, then Morgan Barron will not be playing.
He did say that he could move a defenseman up to play wing, something he had done in Vegas and Columbus. He cited K’Andre Miller in particular as someone who could do it.
The Kings have played .500 hockey since they beat the Rangers and are coming off a 3-2 win in New Jersey that snapped a two game losing streak. They are in second place in the Pacific Division with 47 points and a 21-16-5 record. The Kings have played only 17 road games, among the fewest in the NHL with a record of 8-6-3.
On paper, the Kings are not that impressive, statistically in the middle of the pack. They have played pretty consistently and that has gotten them into a playoff position.
Projected lineups
Igor Shesterkin gets the start tonight. Alexandar Georgiev had started the last game, allowing two goals (the third as an empty net goal). Shesterkin won his only start against the Kings in his career, allowing one goal on 43 shots in 4-1 win at the Garden in February 2020.
NEW YORK RANGERS
20 Kreider – 93 Zibanejad – 10 Panarin
13 Lafrenière – 16 Strome – 21 Goodrow
14 McKegg – 17 Rooney – 75 Reaves
29 Hunt – 47 Barron – 15 Gauthier
55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 8 Trouba
12 Nemeth – 45 Schneider
31 Shesterkin
40 Georgiev
LOS ANGELES KINGS
9 Adrian Kempe – 11 Anze Kopitar – 19 Alex Iafallo
12 Trevor Moore – 24 Phillip Danault – 33 Viktor Arvidsson
91 Carl Grundstrom – 55 Quinton Byfield – 23 Dustin Brown
48 Brendan Lemieux – 46 Blake Lizotte – 34 Arthur Kaliyev
44 Mikey Anderson – 8 Drew Doughty
6 Olli Maatta – 3 Matt Roy
7 Tobias Bjornfot – 50 Sean Durzi
32 Jonathan Quick
40 Cal Petersen
Cal Petersen got the start on Sunday in New Jersey so it will be Jonathan Quick in goal for the Kings. The Milford, Connecticut native is 7-5 lifetime against the Rangers with a 2.42 GAA and .912 save percentage. The important number is 10, the number of goals he allowed in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
Center Quinton Byfield will be making his third start of the season and this will be the first time the top two picks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be facing each other. Byfield has been playing for the Kings top farm team in the AHL and he appeared in six games last season. He’s still looking for his first NHL point. Alexis Lafrenière has been moved up to left wing on the second line and will be looking to snap a six game scoreless streak.
How to watch and the live conversation
Game time is 7pm and it will be televised on MSG+ with the national telecast on ESPN+. The radio call will be on WEPN 1050AM.
As usual, Blue Line Station will be hosting its live conversation before, during and after the game. It’s a chance for you to interact with your fellow Ranger fans about your favorite hockey team. One word of caution, with this crazy Rangers team, it’s best to keep your emotions on an even keel. During the first half of the Arizona game, from the comments you would think the Rangers had struck as iceberg. Of course, they turned it around and by the end of the game, the reaction was pure bliss.
Please join in by contributing in our comments section below.