W2W4: Rangers vs. Predators 12.28.15
Who: New York Rangers vs. Nashville Predators
Where: Bridgestone Arena
When: Monday night at 8:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 7:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
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The Skinny:
A seemingly refreshed New York Rangers (20-12-4, 44 pts) team plays its first game in six days Monday night, opening up a three-game road trip in Nashville with a contest against the Predators (17-12-6, 40 pts). The Rangers last played a week ago Tuesday, a must-have 3-2 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden. The win snapped a three-game losing streak in which New York had surrendered a whopping 17 goals; and while it was not a perfect game all around, it was a much better defensive effort overall. With that victory New York comes out of the holiday break Monday 2-3-0 in its last five games, though just 3-9-2 since defeating the Predators 3-0 at MSG back on November 23. Derick Brassard scored twice and added an assist in last Tuesday’s victory and he enters action on Monday with 13 points (7-6-13) in his last 12 games, second on the team with 28 points this season. Mats Zuccarello scored the overtime winner against the Ducks and comes in Monday leading the Rangers with 30 points on the season. Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 17 of 19 shots against the Ducks, makes the start against the Predators and likely will have two key members of the Rangers defense corps back in the lineup playing in front of him again. It is expected that both Dan Girardi—who missed five games with swelling in his knee—and Kevin Klein—who sat out 11 straight games due to an oblique injury—will play against the Predators. In addition, Antti Raanta—who missed three games before the break with a head injury—will serve once again as Lundqvist’s back up in Nashville. It has been more than a month since the Rangers have won a game on the road—they have gone 0-5-2 since a November 21 overtime win in Florida--and Monday they face a Predators team that is 11-5-3 on home ice and is concluding a four-game home stand in which they own the first two games before falling Saturday to the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2. Overall Nashville is 2-3-1 in its last six contests. However though they sit in fifth place in the tough Central Division, they are still sixth overall in the Western Conference. Nashville's power play has been red hot of late, converting on 10 of 39 opportunities during the month of December for a 25.6 percent success rate, meaning the Rangers penalty kill will be put to the test. The Predators generate plenty of their offense from the back end where defenseman Roman Josi leads the team with 26 points and Shea Weber is right behind with 25 points, including ten goals, eight of which have come on the power play. Nashville's offense could receive a boost up front as it appears veteran Mike Fisher could return from a lower body injury after not playing since December 1.
Head To Head:
This is the second and final meeting this season between the Rangers and Predators. The Blueshirts skated to a 3-0 victory over the Predators on November 23 at Madison Square Garden. In that contest Henrik Lundqvist sparkled in goal for New York, stopping all 31 shots he faced, including 14 in the first period when the Rangers were outshot 14-3. Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, with Hayes also adding an assist to his ledger. New York killed off five consecutive Nashville power plays, including a four-minute double-minor against Stepan late in the opening period. In the Rangers most recent visit to Music City, they were handed a 3-2 defeat on February 7 last season. Nash and Ryan McDonagh scored for the Rangers in that contest. Prior to that loss New York had won four straight games in Nashville.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Kevin Klein: Prior to suffering an oblique injury on November 30 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Kevin Klein was arguably the Rangers best and most consistent defenseman this season. He had been solid in his own end of the ice, often moving up to pair with Ryan McDonagh on the team’s top defense pairing, and logging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. His +11 plus/minus rating was one of the top marks in the league at the time of his injury and currently stands as best on the Rangers. Offensively he earned some power play time, and had registered three goals, three assists and six points in 25 games. Now after an 11-game absence it appears that Klein is set to return to the lineup, and will do so against his former team, the Nashville Predators, for whom he appeared in 403 games prior to being traded to the Rangers in January of 2014. However core-body injuries are tricky things, and Klein admitted that his recovery took longer than first anticipated. Klein likely will pair with Keith Yandle Monday night, and the Rangers certainly hope he is all the way back from the frustrating injury.
Predators-Shea Weber: The captain of the Predators has been scoring at a scorching pace during the month of December, totaling 15 points so far this month, while still playing a rock solid defensive game. Weber has 25 points in 35 games this season and has already reached ten goals. He ranks second on the team in goals and points, and is seventh among NHL defensemen in scoring and third in goals scored. His eight power play goals leads Nashville and rank second among all NHL defensemen and fifth overall among all of the league's players. Weber, who has six points (1-5-6) in his last four games, has now reached double figures in goals in seven straight seasons and eight times overall in his career, while he is on pace to challenge his career-best of 56 points set in the 2013-14 season. The perennial Norris Trophy contender is likely headed to another NHL All Star Game in late January, this one to be held in Nashville, and is a player the Rangers will have to defend closely throughout Monday's contest.
Where: Bridgestone Arena
When: Monday night at 8:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 7:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
****************************
The Skinny:
A seemingly refreshed New York Rangers (20-12-4, 44 pts) team plays its first game in six days Monday night, opening up a three-game road trip in Nashville with a contest against the Predators (17-12-6, 40 pts). The Rangers last played a week ago Tuesday, a must-have 3-2 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden. The win snapped a three-game losing streak in which New York had surrendered a whopping 17 goals; and while it was not a perfect game all around, it was a much better defensive effort overall. With that victory New York comes out of the holiday break Monday 2-3-0 in its last five games, though just 3-9-2 since defeating the Predators 3-0 at MSG back on November 23. Derick Brassard scored twice and added an assist in last Tuesday’s victory and he enters action on Monday with 13 points (7-6-13) in his last 12 games, second on the team with 28 points this season. Mats Zuccarello scored the overtime winner against the Ducks and comes in Monday leading the Rangers with 30 points on the season. Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 17 of 19 shots against the Ducks, makes the start against the Predators and likely will have two key members of the Rangers defense corps back in the lineup playing in front of him again. It is expected that both Dan Girardi—who missed five games with swelling in his knee—and Kevin Klein—who sat out 11 straight games due to an oblique injury—will play against the Predators. In addition, Antti Raanta—who missed three games before the break with a head injury—will serve once again as Lundqvist’s back up in Nashville. It has been more than a month since the Rangers have won a game on the road—they have gone 0-5-2 since a November 21 overtime win in Florida--and Monday they face a Predators team that is 11-5-3 on home ice and is concluding a four-game home stand in which they own the first two games before falling Saturday to the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2. Overall Nashville is 2-3-1 in its last six contests. However though they sit in fifth place in the tough Central Division, they are still sixth overall in the Western Conference. Nashville's power play has been red hot of late, converting on 10 of 39 opportunities during the month of December for a 25.6 percent success rate, meaning the Rangers penalty kill will be put to the test. The Predators generate plenty of their offense from the back end where defenseman Roman Josi leads the team with 26 points and Shea Weber is right behind with 25 points, including ten goals, eight of which have come on the power play. Nashville's offense could receive a boost up front as it appears veteran Mike Fisher could return from a lower body injury after not playing since December 1.
Head To Head:
This is the second and final meeting this season between the Rangers and Predators. The Blueshirts skated to a 3-0 victory over the Predators on November 23 at Madison Square Garden. In that contest Henrik Lundqvist sparkled in goal for New York, stopping all 31 shots he faced, including 14 in the first period when the Rangers were outshot 14-3. Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, with Hayes also adding an assist to his ledger. New York killed off five consecutive Nashville power plays, including a four-minute double-minor against Stepan late in the opening period. In the Rangers most recent visit to Music City, they were handed a 3-2 defeat on February 7 last season. Nash and Ryan McDonagh scored for the Rangers in that contest. Prior to that loss New York had won four straight games in Nashville.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Kevin Klein: Prior to suffering an oblique injury on November 30 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Kevin Klein was arguably the Rangers best and most consistent defenseman this season. He had been solid in his own end of the ice, often moving up to pair with Ryan McDonagh on the team’s top defense pairing, and logging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. His +11 plus/minus rating was one of the top marks in the league at the time of his injury and currently stands as best on the Rangers. Offensively he earned some power play time, and had registered three goals, three assists and six points in 25 games. Now after an 11-game absence it appears that Klein is set to return to the lineup, and will do so against his former team, the Nashville Predators, for whom he appeared in 403 games prior to being traded to the Rangers in January of 2014. However core-body injuries are tricky things, and Klein admitted that his recovery took longer than first anticipated. Klein likely will pair with Keith Yandle Monday night, and the Rangers certainly hope he is all the way back from the frustrating injury.
Predators-Shea Weber: The captain of the Predators has been scoring at a scorching pace during the month of December, totaling 15 points so far this month, while still playing a rock solid defensive game. Weber has 25 points in 35 games this season and has already reached ten goals. He ranks second on the team in goals and points, and is seventh among NHL defensemen in scoring and third in goals scored. His eight power play goals leads Nashville and rank second among all NHL defensemen and fifth overall among all of the league's players. Weber, who has six points (1-5-6) in his last four games, has now reached double figures in goals in seven straight seasons and eight times overall in his career, while he is on pace to challenge his career-best of 56 points set in the 2013-14 season. The perennial Norris Trophy contender is likely headed to another NHL All Star Game in late January, this one to be held in Nashville, and is a player the Rangers will have to defend closely throughout Monday's contest.
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