The Rangers may be shorthanded tonight, with both Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis battling flu symptoms. J.T. Miller has been recalled on an emergency basis in case both are unavailable. Regardless, the Rangers are heading into tonight with a firm grasp on the #3 seed in the Metropolitan Division. Minnesota Phoenix is no pushover, and is playing desperate hockey as they try to squeeze into the Western Conference wild card spot.
Under Mike Yeo, the Wild run a 1-2-2 forecheck which they use aggressively or conservatively depending on game situation. In the defensive zone they use a low zone collapse pretty much exclusively. The Wild prefer to attack the blue line with speed so the Rangers are going to have to be good defending the rush tonight and not leaving Talbot on an island. On special teams, the Wild run an umbrella power play and a diamond force penalty kill.
On the ice, Dave Tippett runs a very conservative style of play. The Coyotes run a 1-2-2 hybrid trap, which is something they’ve been running for some time down in the desert. They aren’t anything out of they ordinary when it comes to defensive zone schemes (zone defense), power play strategies (umbrella), or penalty kill formations (hybrid, depends on puck location/situation). This is a very passive hockey club that will capitalize on mistakes in the neutral zone.
My bad on this one folks. I need a vacation.
Rangers Lineup (unconfirmed, won’t know until game time):
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
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal–Anton Stralman
Raphael Diaz–Kevin Klein
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start
Scratches/Injuries: Derek Dorsett (flu), John Moore (concussion symptoms), Ryan Haggerty (healthy), Justin Falk (healthy)
Game time is 7pm on MSG. Don’t forget to check out our Rangers Tickets link for deals to attend games
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