The Islanders come to town tonight, and those are always fun nights. Even though they stand no chance of making the playoffs, they always show up for a fight against the Rangers. Goaltending is a big issue on the island, and the Isles have the worst goaltending in the league. Ignoring GAA, the best Isles goalie is starting today (Evgeni Nabokov) and he sports a woeful .900 SV%. If there was ever a team to build scoring confidence on, it’s the Isles.
The Isles run an aggressive 1-2-2 forecheck and a 1-1-3 lock depending on the score, which they use to counter other teams mistakes. In the defensive zone, the Isles play man-on-man, so expect our defense to get pressured along the blueline. Look for blown coverages, as this Isles team is still a bit raw on defense. On special teams, the Isles run a 1-3-1 power play and a hybrid penalty kill.
Rangers Lineup (unconfirmed):
Rick Nash-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider-Derick Brassard-Carl Hagelin
Brad Richards-J.T. Miller-Benoit Pouliot
Brian Boyle-Dom Moore-Derek Dorsett
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
John Moore-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Justin Falk
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.
Scratches: Marc Staal (concussion), Taylor Pyatt (healthy)
Game time is 7pm tonight on MSG. Don’t forget to check out our Rangers Tickets link for deals to attend games.
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