rick nash sharks

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Rangers finish out their California trip tonight in San Jose, with another attempt to get that fancy little “x” next to their name in the standings. However if they are going to clinch, they will need to do it against the playoff-bound Sharks, who are one of the top teams in the West.

This is another stress-free game, which sounds about right because I rarely am able to keep my eyes open for these late games. The Rangers are in a unique spot where their games don’t matter anymore. It’s all about preparing for the playoffs right now. Even though the lineups may change regularly, proper process and effort on the ice should not. Those are the keys now.

Sharks Systems

Pete DeBoer is has the Sharks playing a 1-2-2 forecheck which they would use aggressively in the offensive zone or passively in the neutral zone as a trap depending on game situation. In the defensive zone, Deboer uses a hybrid overload/zone defensive system depending on whether the puck is along the boards or at mid-ice. On special teams, the DeBoer goes with an umbrella/1-3-1 power play and a  box/diamond penalty kill.

For more on these systems, check out our Hockey Systems page.

Sharks Lines

Jannik Hansen-Joe Thornton-Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau-Logan Couture-Joel Ward
Joonas Donskoi-Tomas Hertl-Mikkel Boedker
Timo Meier-Michael Haley-Marcus Sorensen

David Schlemko-Justin Braun
Paul Martin-Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon-Dylan Demelo

PP1: Thornton-Pavelski-Marleau-Couture-Burns
PP2: Ward-Boedker-Hertl-Demelo-Schlemko

Martin Jones gets the start.

Rangers Lines

Jimmy Vesey–Mika ZibanejadRick Nash
Chris KreiderDerek StepanMats Zuccarello
Michael GrabnerKevin HayesJesper Fast
Matt Puempel–Oscar Lindberg–JT Miller

Ryan McDonagh–Dan Girardi
Marc Staal–Brady Skjei
Brendan Smith-Nick Holden

PP1: Zibanejad-Buchnevich-Vesey-Miller-McDonagh
PP2: Stepan-Hayes-Kreider-Zuccarello-Skjei

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

Injuries/Scratches: Kevin Klein (healthy),  Adam Clendening (healthy) Steven Kampfer (healthy), Pavel Buchnevich (healthy), Brandon Pirri (healthy), Tanner Glass (healthy)

Crazy Prediction: A game where no one complains on social media.

Game time is 10:30pm. Gifs are on @blueseatblogs. Be sure to follow our snapchat (blueseatblogs) too!

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