AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

After the win in the Winter Classic, the Rangers are back at MSG to take on the not-so-surprisingly mediocre Blackhawks. The Hawks are no longer the feared team in the West, as a few bad contracts and a pair of monster deals have hampered their ability to get depth behind their stars.

That said, Chicago is still a potent offense. They can demolish an opponent on any given night. Remember this is the team that ended the Rangers six game win streak in November with a 6-3 win. The Rangers were sloppy, and the Hawks can still put the puck in the net.

Hawks Systems

Joel Quenneville is one of the best coaches in the game. His Hawks play an aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck, keeping the back forward and defensemen ready to jump on turnovers. In the defensive zone, the Hawks play a standard zone defense looking to defend you in layers based on puck location. On special teams, they run a 1-3-1 power play, and a wedge+1 penalty kill.

Hawks Lines

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Vincent Hinostroza
Ryan Hartman-Nick Schmaltz-Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp-David Kampf-Alex Debrincat
Lance Bouma-Tommy Wingels-John Hayden

Duncan Keith-Jordan Oesterle
Connor Murphy-Brent Seabrook
Gustav Forsling-Cody Franson

PP1: Debrincat-Schmaltz-Kane-Toews-Keith
PP2: Saad-Hinostroza-Hartman-Franson-Oesterle

Jeff Glass gets the start.

Rangers Lines

JT Miller–Mika Zibanejad–Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner–Kevin Hayes–Rick Nash
Jimmy Vesey–David Desharnais–Pavel Buchnevich
Paul Carey-Boo Nieves-Jesper Fast

Ryan McDonagh–Nick Holden
Brady Skjei–Marc Staal
Brendan Smith-Kevin Shattenkirk

PP1: Nash-Zuccarello-Buchnevich-Zibanejad-Shattenkirk
PP2: Vesey-Miller-Desharnais-Skjei-McDonagh

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

Scratches/Injuries: Chris Kreider (blood clot), Steven Kampfer (healthy)

Crazy Prediction: A game where we don’t shrug when a questionable defensive play is made.

Game time is 8pm. Be sure to follow on Twitter for gifs, and on our Snapchat for in-game

Share: 

More About: