A
little under an hour after news broke on Derek Stepan's official injury
timeline/diagnosis, the New York Rangers made a move to bring in
another forward.
rnyrf.blogspot.com|By Real NY Rangers Fans
Rangers lineup vs Carolina
Forwards:
Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast
JT Miller, Kevin Hayes, Viktor Stalberg
Dominic Moore, Jarret Stoll, Emerson Etem
Defense Pairs:
Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein
Marc Staal, Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle, Dan Girardi
Goal:
Henrik Lundqvist
Backup: Annti Raanta
Scratches: Dylan McIlrath, Jayson Megna
Injured: Derek Stepan (Broken Ribs 4-6 Weeks)
Forwards:
Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast
JT Miller, Kevin Hayes, Viktor Stalberg
Dominic Moore, Jarret Stoll, Emerson Etem
Defense Pairs:
Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein
Marc Staal, Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle, Dan Girardi
Goal:
Henrik Lundqvist
Backup: Annti Raanta
Scratches: Dylan McIlrath, Jayson Megna
Injured: Derek Stepan (Broken Ribs 4-6 Weeks)
#NYR Injury Update: Derek Stepan will miss 4-6 weeks due to broken ribs
Injured Rangers center Derek Stepan met with the doctors over the weekend and on Monday head coach Alain Vigneault announced that Stepan would miss the next 4-6 weeks of action. Stepan broke two ribs during Friday's game in Boston against the Bruins, and the Rangers previously had stated only that he would be sidelined indefinitely.
It is the second straight season that Stepan will miss significant playing time. Last season sat out 14 games due to injury, including the entire month of October due to a fractured leg. Over the first four seasons of his NHL career Stepan did not miss a single regular season game, and only one in the post-season when he suffered a broken jaw in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final.
Vigneault said that for the time being no other player will be called up
from Hartford and added to the Rangers roster to take Stepan's place.
Currently the team has 12 healthy forwards and seven healthy defensemen.
He added that if a player is needed this week it will be easy to make a
recall from Hartford since the Rangers are in New York all week, with
three games at home at MSG and one game in Brooklyn on Wednesday against
the Islanders.
In 23 games played this season Stepan has scored six goals, added six assists and totaled 12 points. He is tied for 6th among all Blueshirts in scoring.
In 23 games played this season Stepan has scored six goals, added six assists and totaled 12 points. He is tied for 6th among all Blueshirts in scoring.
New Look Lines for Tonight's Match With 'Canes
A combination of losing Derek Stepan and three losses in a row has led to some new lines for Alain Vigneault and the Rangers ahead of tonight's match with the Carolina Hurricanes at The Garden.
While the Derick Brassard unit will remain in tact, Kevin Hayes will center J.T. Miller and Viktor Stalberg, while Emerson Etem will slide down to the fourth line alongside Jarret Stoll and Dominic Moore. One completely new line is Oscar Lindberg between Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast.
"[I'm] just trying to see what the lines we have this morning if we can be very responsible defensively and maybe [make] better decisions with the puck to give us a good chance to play a good game tonight," Vigneault told reporters.
The head coach said the team's "execution is off right now," starting in the defensive zone. He said that there were too many turnovers in their own end and in the neutral zone in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Flyers.
While Lindberg and Fast have played together this season, the addition of Kreider to the line could give it a new dimension.
"Adding Kreids to our line obviously adds a lot of speed and a lot of power," Lindberg told BlueshirtsUntied.com after the team's morning skate. "I think that's going to be good for us. Just try and keep playing and use his speed. He's a fast player. He can create a lot of chances."
Lindberg said he and Kreider played together briefly in Hartford at the start of the 2013-14 season before Kreider was recalled to New York. Lindberg said he does not expect any carryover chemistry between the two, but said that he knows Kreider's game well enough to know what to expect.
According to stats.hockeyanalysis.com, Lindberg has played just 5:17 of even strength with Kreider this season. He made the most of it, though, scoring a goal with three shots on net.
Fast, meanwhile, has experience playing with both players, most recently this weekend alongside Lindberg and Miller. Vigneault has also used Fast with Kreider and Stepan earlier this year and even during last year's postseason.
Fast has a goal and two assists in 88:33 of five-on-five with Kreider, as well as an assist in 40:44 of five-on-five with Lindberg this season.
The one personnel change for tonight's game is the insertion of defenseman Dan Boyle for Dylan McIlrath, who will be a healthy scratch after playing back-to-back games in Boston Friday and at home Saturday.
McIlrath, who has appeared in six games this season, has played well, especially physically, in his chances this season. On Friday he rocked Boston's Landon Ferraro and fought Matt Belesky after his unpenalized hit on Stepan, which left the center with two broken ribs that will sideline him for four-to-six weeks.
He followed that up with a big hit on the Flyers' Nick Schultz, which led to a fight with Luke Schenn.
Vigneault said the opponent was a big deciding factor in dressing Boyle, who has four assists in 16 games.
"Oppositin, power play, a couple things went into my thinking there, and that's what we're going to do tonight," Vigneault said.
In goal it will be Henrik Lundqvist agaisnt Cam Ward.
By Matt Calamia
A combination of losing Derek Stepan and three losses in a row has led to some new lines for Alain Vigneault and the Rangers ahead of tonight's match with the Carolina Hurricanes at The Garden.
While the Derick Brassard unit will remain in tact, Kevin Hayes will center J.T. Miller and Viktor Stalberg, while Emerson Etem will slide down to the fourth line alongside Jarret Stoll and Dominic Moore. One completely new line is Oscar Lindberg between Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast.
"[I'm] just trying to see what the lines we have this morning if we can be very responsible defensively and maybe [make] better decisions with the puck to give us a good chance to play a good game tonight," Vigneault told reporters.
The head coach said the team's "execution is off right now," starting in the defensive zone. He said that there were too many turnovers in their own end and in the neutral zone in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Flyers.
While Lindberg and Fast have played together this season, the addition of Kreider to the line could give it a new dimension.
"Adding Kreids to our line obviously adds a lot of speed and a lot of power," Lindberg told BlueshirtsUntied.com after the team's morning skate. "I think that's going to be good for us. Just try and keep playing and use his speed. He's a fast player. He can create a lot of chances."
Lindberg said he and Kreider played together briefly in Hartford at the start of the 2013-14 season before Kreider was recalled to New York. Lindberg said he does not expect any carryover chemistry between the two, but said that he knows Kreider's game well enough to know what to expect.
According to stats.hockeyanalysis.com, Lindberg has played just 5:17 of even strength with Kreider this season. He made the most of it, though, scoring a goal with three shots on net.
Fast, meanwhile, has experience playing with both players, most recently this weekend alongside Lindberg and Miller. Vigneault has also used Fast with Kreider and Stepan earlier this year and even during last year's postseason.
Fast has a goal and two assists in 88:33 of five-on-five with Kreider, as well as an assist in 40:44 of five-on-five with Lindberg this season.
The one personnel change for tonight's game is the insertion of defenseman Dan Boyle for Dylan McIlrath, who will be a healthy scratch after playing back-to-back games in Boston Friday and at home Saturday.
McIlrath, who has appeared in six games this season, has played well, especially physically, in his chances this season. On Friday he rocked Boston's Landon Ferraro and fought Matt Belesky after his unpenalized hit on Stepan, which left the center with two broken ribs that will sideline him for four-to-six weeks.
He followed that up with a big hit on the Flyers' Nick Schultz, which led to a fight with Luke Schenn.
Vigneault said the opponent was a big deciding factor in dressing Boyle, who has four assists in 16 games.
"Oppositin, power play, a couple things went into my thinking there, and that's what we're going to do tonight," Vigneault said.
In goal it will be Henrik Lundqvist agaisnt Cam Ward.
By Matt Calamia
W2W4: Rangers vs. Hurricanes 11.30.15
Who: New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Monday night at 7:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 6:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************
The Skinny:
Monday night at The Garden the Rangers (16-6-2, 34 pts) close out the month of November by hosting a division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes (8-11-4, 20 pts). By and large it has been a very successful month for the Blueshirts, as their 9-4-0 record attests, but New York enters play Monday having lost three consecutive games in regulation, something that the team had not done previously since early October of last season. In their three straight defeats, which includes a pair on home ice, the Rangers--who still lead all NHL teams with a 2.04 GAA--have surrendered 12 goals. Of those 12 goals, seven have been surrendered in the third period of play, a major surprise because the Blueshirts have owned the third period this season, and really did most of last year, as well. In their most recent outing the Rangers were blanked 3-0 by the Flyers at MSG on Saturday, 24 hours after a painful 4-3 loss up in Boston in which New York gave up two goals late in the third to wipe out a 3-2 lead. The Rangers looked weary Saturday, managing just 24 shots on goal--only 14 of which came over the final 40 minutes of play. Currently two-thirds of the way through a nine-games-in-15-days stretch, the Rangers kick off the final leg of that run Monday by beginning three-games-in-four nights, with a road game against the Islanders and a home tilt against the Avalanche waiting on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Henrik Lundqvist is back in goal against the Hurricanes Monday after a day off on Saturday. Though he has allowed nine goals in his last two starts, Lundqvist still owns the NHL's second best save percentage (.936), is second in wins (12), and sixth in GAA (2.05). In front of Lundqvist head coach Alain Vigneault must decide if rookie Dylan McIlrath remains in the lineup on defense after two impressively physical performances on Friday and Saturday or if veteran Dan Boyle opts back in after serving as a healthy scratch. Up front Vigneault must find the right line combinations with Derek Stepan out with broken ribs and many of the other forwards struggling to find their rhythm. Saturday the fourth line of Dom Moore, Jarret Stoll, and Viktor Stalberg was New York's most effective. Carolina comes in tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division following a 4-1 loss Friday night up in Buffalo. The Hurricanes are 2-3-4 in their last nine games and have won consecutive games only once this season when they won three straight a month ago at the end of October. The second-lowest scoring team in the NHL, Carolina has scored only nine first-period goals all season and as a result has led after one period only five times in 23 games. It's not much prettier at the other end of the ice where the Hurricanes own a 2.83 team GAA, ranking them 24th out of 30 teams in the NHL. Yet there are better vibes around Bill Peters' team this season than in recent years. It is a hard-working group that comes to compete every night and finds itself in nearly every game Carolina plays, making them a dangerous foe for a recently-struggling Rangers squad on Monday.
Head To Head:
This is the second meeting between the Rangers and Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden this month. Twenty days ago the Rangers shut out the Hurricanes 3-0 as Henrik Lundqvist recorded his first shutout of the season, and second ever against Carolina. Lundqvist made 33 saves in the win, including 14 in the second period. New York took only three shots against Cam Ward in the first period, but scored on two of them as Jesper Fast and Rick Nash scored 11 seconds apart midway through the opening stanza. Ryan McDonagh finished things off with his first goal of the season 13 seconds into the the third period, with Nash earning his second point of the contest with the lone assist. The Rangers have now won each of their last ten home games against the Hurricanes dating to January 5, 2011; and in those ten games the Rangers have allowed only nine goals. Overall the Rangers have won 17 of their last 18 games against Carolina, outscoring the 'Canes 61-29 in that stretch. New York and Carolina will meet twice more this season, both times down in Raleigh, on January 22 and March 31.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Chris Kreider: Off to a painfully slow start offensively, and now playing without his usual center--the injured Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider must find a way to become a difference maker again for the Rangers. No one can doubt how much he cares or how much responsibility he is taking for scoring just three goals in the first 24 games this season, but with the club mired in its worst losing skid of the year it is imperative that Kreider begin to turn things around offensively. Head coach Alain Vigneault said at the beginning of training camp that he envisioned a breakout season for Kreider, who scored 21 goals last year; and he has not wavered in his support of the 24 year-old winger, nor has removed him from a top-six role or spot on the power play during his struggles. The coach and his teammates believe in Kreider, and see how hard he works every day to be the best player he can possibly be. All that is needed are results. Kreider has not scored a goal in seven games nor recorded a point in six, even with a pair of penalty shot attempts included, and Saturday against the Flyers he was held without a shot on goal despite nearly 17 minutes of ice time.That most definitely is not trending upwards, but Kreider is well aware that now is the time to begin to break out, just when his team needs him most.
Hurricanes-Justin Faulk: Though held without a point in Friday's loss in Buffalo, Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk is off to an outstanding start offensively this season. The 23 year-old Faulk, who scored 15 goals and totaled 49 points a year ago, has already scored eight goals this season and amassed 18 points in 23 games. He leads the Hurricanes in goals and points, and is tied for second with ten assists. Among NHL defensemen he ranks second in goals and tied for seventh in points. Faulk also is tied for the overall league lead with eight power play goals this season, meaning all eight of his tallies have come with the man advantage and not one has come at even strength. He has already topped his previous career-high of seven power play goals, set last season when he also added a pair of shorties. Quite simply, the Rangers need to limit how often they put Carolina on the power play Monday, and when they do, they will need to focus on Faulk and make sure he does not have space to operate and let loose his lethal shot. Though scoreless on Friday, Faulk had a seven-game point-scoring streak right before, totaling nine points (3-6-9) in that span, so he is in the midst of a hot run. However at the other end of the ice, Faulk owns a -11 plus/minus rating, due in part to how many goals Carolina surrenders and how much ice time Faulk logs every night.
Who: New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Monday night at 7:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 6:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************
The Skinny:
Monday night at The Garden the Rangers (16-6-2, 34 pts) close out the month of November by hosting a division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes (8-11-4, 20 pts). By and large it has been a very successful month for the Blueshirts, as their 9-4-0 record attests, but New York enters play Monday having lost three consecutive games in regulation, something that the team had not done previously since early October of last season. In their three straight defeats, which includes a pair on home ice, the Rangers--who still lead all NHL teams with a 2.04 GAA--have surrendered 12 goals. Of those 12 goals, seven have been surrendered in the third period of play, a major surprise because the Blueshirts have owned the third period this season, and really did most of last year, as well. In their most recent outing the Rangers were blanked 3-0 by the Flyers at MSG on Saturday, 24 hours after a painful 4-3 loss up in Boston in which New York gave up two goals late in the third to wipe out a 3-2 lead. The Rangers looked weary Saturday, managing just 24 shots on goal--only 14 of which came over the final 40 minutes of play. Currently two-thirds of the way through a nine-games-in-15-days stretch, the Rangers kick off the final leg of that run Monday by beginning three-games-in-four nights, with a road game against the Islanders and a home tilt against the Avalanche waiting on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Henrik Lundqvist is back in goal against the Hurricanes Monday after a day off on Saturday. Though he has allowed nine goals in his last two starts, Lundqvist still owns the NHL's second best save percentage (.936), is second in wins (12), and sixth in GAA (2.05). In front of Lundqvist head coach Alain Vigneault must decide if rookie Dylan McIlrath remains in the lineup on defense after two impressively physical performances on Friday and Saturday or if veteran Dan Boyle opts back in after serving as a healthy scratch. Up front Vigneault must find the right line combinations with Derek Stepan out with broken ribs and many of the other forwards struggling to find their rhythm. Saturday the fourth line of Dom Moore, Jarret Stoll, and Viktor Stalberg was New York's most effective. Carolina comes in tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division following a 4-1 loss Friday night up in Buffalo. The Hurricanes are 2-3-4 in their last nine games and have won consecutive games only once this season when they won three straight a month ago at the end of October. The second-lowest scoring team in the NHL, Carolina has scored only nine first-period goals all season and as a result has led after one period only five times in 23 games. It's not much prettier at the other end of the ice where the Hurricanes own a 2.83 team GAA, ranking them 24th out of 30 teams in the NHL. Yet there are better vibes around Bill Peters' team this season than in recent years. It is a hard-working group that comes to compete every night and finds itself in nearly every game Carolina plays, making them a dangerous foe for a recently-struggling Rangers squad on Monday.
Head To Head:
This is the second meeting between the Rangers and Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden this month. Twenty days ago the Rangers shut out the Hurricanes 3-0 as Henrik Lundqvist recorded his first shutout of the season, and second ever against Carolina. Lundqvist made 33 saves in the win, including 14 in the second period. New York took only three shots against Cam Ward in the first period, but scored on two of them as Jesper Fast and Rick Nash scored 11 seconds apart midway through the opening stanza. Ryan McDonagh finished things off with his first goal of the season 13 seconds into the the third period, with Nash earning his second point of the contest with the lone assist. The Rangers have now won each of their last ten home games against the Hurricanes dating to January 5, 2011; and in those ten games the Rangers have allowed only nine goals. Overall the Rangers have won 17 of their last 18 games against Carolina, outscoring the 'Canes 61-29 in that stretch. New York and Carolina will meet twice more this season, both times down in Raleigh, on January 22 and March 31.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Chris Kreider: Off to a painfully slow start offensively, and now playing without his usual center--the injured Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider must find a way to become a difference maker again for the Rangers. No one can doubt how much he cares or how much responsibility he is taking for scoring just three goals in the first 24 games this season, but with the club mired in its worst losing skid of the year it is imperative that Kreider begin to turn things around offensively. Head coach Alain Vigneault said at the beginning of training camp that he envisioned a breakout season for Kreider, who scored 21 goals last year; and he has not wavered in his support of the 24 year-old winger, nor has removed him from a top-six role or spot on the power play during his struggles. The coach and his teammates believe in Kreider, and see how hard he works every day to be the best player he can possibly be. All that is needed are results. Kreider has not scored a goal in seven games nor recorded a point in six, even with a pair of penalty shot attempts included, and Saturday against the Flyers he was held without a shot on goal despite nearly 17 minutes of ice time.That most definitely is not trending upwards, but Kreider is well aware that now is the time to begin to break out, just when his team needs him most.
Hurricanes-Justin Faulk: Though held without a point in Friday's loss in Buffalo, Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk is off to an outstanding start offensively this season. The 23 year-old Faulk, who scored 15 goals and totaled 49 points a year ago, has already scored eight goals this season and amassed 18 points in 23 games. He leads the Hurricanes in goals and points, and is tied for second with ten assists. Among NHL defensemen he ranks second in goals and tied for seventh in points. Faulk also is tied for the overall league lead with eight power play goals this season, meaning all eight of his tallies have come with the man advantage and not one has come at even strength. He has already topped his previous career-high of seven power play goals, set last season when he also added a pair of shorties. Quite simply, the Rangers need to limit how often they put Carolina on the power play Monday, and when they do, they will need to focus on Faulk and make sure he does not have space to operate and let loose his lethal shot. Though scoreless on Friday, Faulk had a seven-game point-scoring streak right before, totaling nine points (3-6-9) in that span, so he is in the midst of a hot run. However at the other end of the ice, Faulk owns a -11 plus/minus rating, due in part to how many goals Carolina surrenders and how much ice time Faulk logs every night.
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