AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Three months of hockey-less living has been rough, but the Rangers return to the ice tonight against the New Jersey Devils. There are a lot of roster spots open for the taking, and a lot of the guys competing for those spots are in action tonight. Tonight marks the debuts of the highly anticipated Kevin Hayes, Dan Boyle, and Tanner Glass.
In case you need a refresher (click here for all systems posts), Alain Vigneault has his guys playing a moderate 1-2-2 forecheck and a strong-side overload in the DZ (man-on-man when the puck is below the goal line). With a lead, AV will back the 1-2-2 forecheck up to the neutral zone, forcing turnovers while keeping five bodies back for defense. As for special teams, the Rangers run a 1-3-1/umbrella hybrid powerplay and a hybrid (diamond/wedge+1) penalty kill).
As for the Devils, Pete DeBoer has the Devils playing a 1-2-2 forecheck which they’ll use aggressively in the offensive zone or passively in the neutral zone as a trap depending on game situation. In the defensive zone, Deboer employs a hybrid overload/zone defensive system depending on whether the puck is along the boards or at mid-ice. On special teams, the Devils employ an umbrella/1-3-1 power play. On the penalty kill, the Devs rotate between a box and a diamond depending on puck location and the setup of the opposition.
Rangers lineup:
Carl Hagelin-J.T. Miller-Ryan Bourque
Tanner Glass-Chris Mueller-Jesper Fast
Ryan Malone-Matthew Lombardi-Martin St. Louis
Chris Kreider-Kevin Hayes-Danny Kristo
Marc Staal-Dan Boyle
Michael Kostka-John Moore
Steven Kampfer-Matt Hunwick
Henrik Lundqvist
Cam Talbot
Game time is 7pm tonight on MSG. Welcome back hockey. We missed you.
Share:
More About:Game Thread Preseason