Who: New York Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Wednesday night at 8:00 PM
Watch: NBCSN; post-game on MSG Network
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
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The Skinny:
Tonight's Original Six matchup, presented by G.H. Bass & Co., pits the Rangers against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers (32-18-6) come into tonight's game off an emotional 3-1 victory Sunday night against the Philadelphia Flyers that saw two fights in the game's opening minute, including Dylan McIlrath dropping the gloves with Wayne Simmonds, who a week prior concussed Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh with a sucker punch.
After the fists stopped flying, the Rangers got on the board on Derick Brassard's 19th goal of the season, and later padded their lead with two goals from Derek Stepan, including the 100th of his career. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was superb when he needed to be, and came within 10 seconds of his second consecutive shutout.
After a difficult December and parts of January, the Blueshirts have found their game and the type of style of play that has made them so successful under head coach Alain Vigneault. Since Jan. 16, the Rangers are 9-3-1, tied for the most wins in that span in the NHL. The Garden has also been a place of fortune for the Rangers, who come into tonight's game on an 8-0-2 run at home, and have at least one point in 23 of the last 27 games at MSG.
The Rangers could have McDonagh back in the lineup, as the defenseman skated with the team in a full contact jersey on Tuesday and declared himself ready to go. Vigneault would not confirm that No. 27 would be back in the lineup, and stated he needed to talk to McDonagh Wednesday morning.
While McDonagh could return, both Marc Staal and Dan Boyle could be absent from the contest. Boyle did not practice Tuesday due to a bout with the flu, and Staal and his wife are expecting a child. If one or both cannot go, Vigneault said a defenseman would be recalled from Hartford.
The Blackhawks come into tonight's game off a dominating 7-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, and are one of the most powerful offensive forces in the NHL. Chicago has three players with 40 or more points, including Hart Trophy favorite Patrick Kane, who has 82 points in 60 games this season.
Rookie sensation Artemi Panarin is dominating the rookie scoring list with 54 points in 58 games, while Jonathan Toews continues to do a bit of everything for Chicago, as he remains one of the best two-way players in the NHL. On the backend, stalwarts Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are as steady as they come on the blueline in the NHL, with 37 and 36 points, respectively.
Head To Head:
The Rangers and Blackhawks are meeting for the second and final time this season on Wednesday night. On Opening Night, with the Blackhawks celebrating their 2015 Stanley Cup one more time prior to the contest, the Rangers scored three times in the first period en-route to a 3-2 victory. Oscar Lindberg opened the scoring just 1:43 into the game, his first NHL goal coming on the team's first shot of the season. Kevin Klein and Derek Stepan also scored for New York, and J.T. Miller contributed a pair of assists. Henrik Lundqvist was the difference in this one, finishing with 32 saves, including 14 in the third period. The Rangers have won four of their last five games overall against the Blackhawks, and have earned at least one point in 11 of 14. Last season the teams exchanged 1-0 shutouts--with Cam Talbot and the Blueshirts turning the trick first, winning in overtime on Derick Brassard's goal, on March 8 in Chicago before the Blackhawks exited MSG with a 1-0 shutout of their own ten days later, with Scott Darling between the pipes.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Henrik Lundqvist: With the Rangers facing the fourth most potent offense in the NHL on Wednesday--Chicago has scored 170 goals so far this season--Henrik Lundqvist becomes the central figure as New York looks to shut down the high-powered Blackhawks. Lundqvist has played exceptionally well against Chicago throughout his career, clearly thriving on playing a team that has won three Stanley Cup championships during his time in the league. In nine career starts against the Blackhawks Lundqvist is 6-1-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .935 save percentage, allowing two or fewer goals in eight of those nine appearances. Earlier this season he stopped 32 of 34 shots out in Chicago to lead New York to a 3-2 victory on Opening Night. Lundqvist is also on top of his game right now. He could very well have three consecutive shutouts heading into play Wednesday--he did blank the Penguins 3-0 in Pittsburgh a week ago, but lost shutouts late in the third period of last Monday's 2-1 win in New Jersey and Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Flyers at MSG. Lundqvist was still recognized for his efforts, being names the NHL's Second Star of the Week. Lundqvist is tied for third in the league with 28 wins, and is tied for second in games played with 47, just one behind Chicago's Corey Crawford. In his last five starts--and in 11 of the past 13--Lundqvist has allowed two goals or fewer.
Blackhawks-Patrick Kane: Name the offensive statistical category this season and you will see Patrick Kane's name at the top, or right near it. He leads the NHL by an 18-point margin in scoring with 82 points, which is just six shy of his career high set back in 2009-10, his second season in the league. He is second in the NHL with 34 goals, which has already established a new career-high, and his 48 assists are also second most. His 29 power play points and 14 power play goals top the league, and his +23 plus/minus mark is tied for third best in the league. So all in all, the 27 year-old Kane has been, hands-down, the league's top player so far in 2015-16, and he is coming off a four-point game against the Maple Leafs, one in which he racked up three power play assists to go along with an even strength goal. It was his 21st multiple-point game so far this year. The Rangers limited Kane to one assist on Opening Night, the start of six points in the season's first three games for Blackhawks superstar forward. It will take an all-hands-on-deck mentality from the Rangers if they are to hold the former first overall pick in check on Wednesday.
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Wednesday night at 8:00 PM
Watch: NBCSN; post-game on MSG Network
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************************
The Skinny:
Tonight's Original Six matchup, presented by G.H. Bass & Co., pits the Rangers against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers (32-18-6) come into tonight's game off an emotional 3-1 victory Sunday night against the Philadelphia Flyers that saw two fights in the game's opening minute, including Dylan McIlrath dropping the gloves with Wayne Simmonds, who a week prior concussed Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh with a sucker punch.
After the fists stopped flying, the Rangers got on the board on Derick Brassard's 19th goal of the season, and later padded their lead with two goals from Derek Stepan, including the 100th of his career. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was superb when he needed to be, and came within 10 seconds of his second consecutive shutout.
After a difficult December and parts of January, the Blueshirts have found their game and the type of style of play that has made them so successful under head coach Alain Vigneault. Since Jan. 16, the Rangers are 9-3-1, tied for the most wins in that span in the NHL. The Garden has also been a place of fortune for the Rangers, who come into tonight's game on an 8-0-2 run at home, and have at least one point in 23 of the last 27 games at MSG.
The Rangers could have McDonagh back in the lineup, as the defenseman skated with the team in a full contact jersey on Tuesday and declared himself ready to go. Vigneault would not confirm that No. 27 would be back in the lineup, and stated he needed to talk to McDonagh Wednesday morning.
While McDonagh could return, both Marc Staal and Dan Boyle could be absent from the contest. Boyle did not practice Tuesday due to a bout with the flu, and Staal and his wife are expecting a child. If one or both cannot go, Vigneault said a defenseman would be recalled from Hartford.
The Blackhawks come into tonight's game off a dominating 7-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, and are one of the most powerful offensive forces in the NHL. Chicago has three players with 40 or more points, including Hart Trophy favorite Patrick Kane, who has 82 points in 60 games this season.
Rookie sensation Artemi Panarin is dominating the rookie scoring list with 54 points in 58 games, while Jonathan Toews continues to do a bit of everything for Chicago, as he remains one of the best two-way players in the NHL. On the backend, stalwarts Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are as steady as they come on the blueline in the NHL, with 37 and 36 points, respectively.
Head To Head:
The Rangers and Blackhawks are meeting for the second and final time this season on Wednesday night. On Opening Night, with the Blackhawks celebrating their 2015 Stanley Cup one more time prior to the contest, the Rangers scored three times in the first period en-route to a 3-2 victory. Oscar Lindberg opened the scoring just 1:43 into the game, his first NHL goal coming on the team's first shot of the season. Kevin Klein and Derek Stepan also scored for New York, and J.T. Miller contributed a pair of assists. Henrik Lundqvist was the difference in this one, finishing with 32 saves, including 14 in the third period. The Rangers have won four of their last five games overall against the Blackhawks, and have earned at least one point in 11 of 14. Last season the teams exchanged 1-0 shutouts--with Cam Talbot and the Blueshirts turning the trick first, winning in overtime on Derick Brassard's goal, on March 8 in Chicago before the Blackhawks exited MSG with a 1-0 shutout of their own ten days later, with Scott Darling between the pipes.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Henrik Lundqvist: With the Rangers facing the fourth most potent offense in the NHL on Wednesday--Chicago has scored 170 goals so far this season--Henrik Lundqvist becomes the central figure as New York looks to shut down the high-powered Blackhawks. Lundqvist has played exceptionally well against Chicago throughout his career, clearly thriving on playing a team that has won three Stanley Cup championships during his time in the league. In nine career starts against the Blackhawks Lundqvist is 6-1-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .935 save percentage, allowing two or fewer goals in eight of those nine appearances. Earlier this season he stopped 32 of 34 shots out in Chicago to lead New York to a 3-2 victory on Opening Night. Lundqvist is also on top of his game right now. He could very well have three consecutive shutouts heading into play Wednesday--he did blank the Penguins 3-0 in Pittsburgh a week ago, but lost shutouts late in the third period of last Monday's 2-1 win in New Jersey and Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Flyers at MSG. Lundqvist was still recognized for his efforts, being names the NHL's Second Star of the Week. Lundqvist is tied for third in the league with 28 wins, and is tied for second in games played with 47, just one behind Chicago's Corey Crawford. In his last five starts--and in 11 of the past 13--Lundqvist has allowed two goals or fewer.
Blackhawks-Patrick Kane: Name the offensive statistical category this season and you will see Patrick Kane's name at the top, or right near it. He leads the NHL by an 18-point margin in scoring with 82 points, which is just six shy of his career high set back in 2009-10, his second season in the league. He is second in the NHL with 34 goals, which has already established a new career-high, and his 48 assists are also second most. His 29 power play points and 14 power play goals top the league, and his +23 plus/minus mark is tied for third best in the league. So all in all, the 27 year-old Kane has been, hands-down, the league's top player so far in 2015-16, and he is coming off a four-point game against the Maple Leafs, one in which he racked up three power play assists to go along with an even strength goal. It was his 21st multiple-point game so far this year. The Rangers limited Kane to one assist on Opening Night, the start of six points in the season's first three games for Blackhawks superstar forward. It will take an all-hands-on-deck mentality from the Rangers if they are to hold the former first overall pick in check on Wednesday.
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