The Rangers are back in action tonight, taking on the very talented Leafs in the first of 13 pre-trade deadline games. This is the first game that the players will have to prove to the leadership in the front office that they should not be sellers.
It’s a tall order for this club, as they are without two of their top players and have looked lost without them. Granted, they looked lost with them, but that’s besides the point. The point is the club needs to actually learn how to play defense and stop allowing so many damn shots.
Leafs Systems
Mike Babcock plays a 2-1-2 forecheck/LW lock depending on game situation. In their own zone, it was a straight up zone defense. On the PP, it was an umbrella and a 1-3-1 formation. On the penalty kill they changed up their strategy depending on the opposition’s setup. Pretty straight forward for a team lacking skill.
Leafs Lines
Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
Patrick Marleau-Nazem Kadri-Mitch Marner
James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Connor Brown
Leo Komarov-Dominic Moore-Kasperi Kapanen
Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott-Justin Holl
Andreas Borgman-Connor Carrick
PP1: Bozak-Kadri-Marner-JVR-Gardiner
PP2: Matthews-Marleau-Nylander-Brown-Carrick
Curtis McElhinney gets the start.
Rangers Lines
Rick Nash–Mika Zibanejad–Pavel Buchnevich
JT Miller-Kevin Hayes-Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner–Peter Holland–Jesper Fast
Jimmy Vesey–David Desharnais–Cody McLeod
Ryan McDonagh–Nick Holden
Brady Skjei–Marc Staal
Brendan Smith–Tony DeAngelo
PP1: Nash-Zuccarello-Buchnevich-Zibanejad-McDonagh
PP2: Vesey-Miller-Desharnais-Skjei-DeAngelo
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.
Scratches/Injuries: Chris Kreider (blood clot), Kevin Shattenkirk (knee), Steven Kampfer (healthy), Paul Carey (healthy)
Crazy Prediction: The first of 13 wins in a row, spoiling the party for anyone who wants them to sell.
Game time is 7pm. Be sure to follow on our Snapchat for in-game shenanigans.
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