RANGERS VS COYOTES GAME DAY PREVIEW 12/14

Rangers Wounded Return to Lineup against Arizona

New York Rangers (14-13-3)  vs Arizona Coyotes (13-15-2)

Madison Square Garden, NYC, NY

TONIGHT 7:00 PM, TV: MSG2, FS-A

It couldn't happen a better time as the Rangers just lost another player to injury. Coming off a 6-3 loss in Tampa Bay the Rangers announced that veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is lost to them for the next 2-4 weeks due to a shoulder injury following a check from former Ranger J.T. Miller.

Both Pavel Buchnevich and Mats Zuccarello are expected to return to the Rangers lineup skating in both practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Zuccarello will be starting on the first line with Filip Chytil and Mika Zibanejad while Buchnevich slots in with Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes on the second. It looks as though struggling rookie Lias Andersson will be the healthy scratch for the forwards.

Brendan Smith a healthys scratch after a landing in coach Quinn's doghouse will return replacing Shattenkirk in the lineup. Adam McQuaid still sits waiting medical release from a lower body injury.

Both Zuccarello, 1st Unit and Buchnevich, 2nd Unit are penciled to take positions on the Rangers power play. Henrik Lundqvist is slated to make the start against Arizona tonight, his 3rd staraight start. In his last 3 Lundqvist has gone 1-1-1 picking up a a shootout win in Florida but losing to both the Lightning, in regulation and Winnipeg in the shootout in their last gane at MSG.

The Rangers look to get back on track having lost four of five (1-3-1) and six of eight (2-5-1).

Probable Lines and Defensive Pairings vs Arizona
Forwards
Chytil-Zibanejad-Zuccarello
Kreider-Hayes-Buchnevich
Namestnikov-Howden-Fast
Beleskey-Strome-Vesey

Defense
Staal-Pionk
Claesson-Smith
Skjei-DeAngelo

Power play groups:
1- Pionk, Zibanejad, Hayes, Kreider, Zuccarello.
2- DeAngelo, Buchnevich, Howden, Vesey, Chytil.

Lias Andersson and Adam McQuaid skated as the extras yesterday in practice.

Arizona Comes in on a four game skid having lost it's most recent game to Buffalo last night 3-1, all four coming in rregulation. Prior to the skid Ariazona also lost four straight going 0-3-1. The Yotes will likely start Adin Hill after Darcy Kuemper took the loss in Buffalo.

RANGERS TEAM LEADERS
POINTS: Mika Zibanejad 26
GOALS; Chris Kreider 14
ASSISTS: Mika Zibanejad 17

COYOTES TEAM LEADERS
POINTS: Clayton Keller 21
GOALS; Brad Richardson 8
ASSISTS: Oliver Ekman-Larsson 14

This is the first of two meetings between the Rangers and Coyotes this season. Last season the Rangers won the series 2-0, a 2-1 shootout win in Arizona and a 5-2 win at MSG, Lundqvist with the shootout win and Ondrej Pavelec with the regulation win at MSG.

RANGERS ALL-TIME RECORD VS ARIZONA/PHOENIX
Overall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47-25-6-0 (100 pts)
Home Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-10-2-0 (56 pts)
Road Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-15-4-0 (44 pts)
Goals For. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Goals Against. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Shutouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, last – 2/26/1999 (3-0; Richter)
Last Ranger Win at MSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/26/2017 (5-2)
Last Ranger Win at Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/6/2018 (2-1 S0)
Last Coyote Win at MSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/16/2007 (5-1)
Last Coyote Win at Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/3/2013 (4-1)

HEAD TO HEAD 2017-2018 (Rangers win series 2-0)
2018-01-06 NYR @ ARI 2-1 W SO
2017-10-26 NYR ARI 5-2 W