Game 69: Redemption against San Jose

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The last time the Rangers faced San Jose, they lost 9-2 in an absolute embarrassment of a game. This time around, it will be different (hopefully). The Sharks are no longer the white-hot team that steamrolled the opposition in October. After their absurd start, they have fallen off a bit. They are still playing great hockey, but they aren’t blowing opponents away anymore. The Rangers have found their game, although they might have misplaced it this month. Either way, that 9-2 drubbing is definitely fresh on the minds of this Rangers club.

On the ice, coach Todd McLellan has his Sharks mostly running an aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck, but will mix in some 1-2-2 depending on game situation. In the defensive zone schemes they overload the boards and play zone defense when the puck is at the points or down low. The power play is a 1-3-1 and their penalty kill formations are hybrid (depends on puck location/opposition setup).

Rangers Lineup:

Chris Kreider–Derek Stepan–Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin–Brad Richards–Benoit Pouliot
Martin St. Louis–Derick Brassard–Mats Zuccarello
Brian Boyle–Dominic Moore-Dan Carcillo