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Rangers take on the Devils at MSG, may be without Adam Fox |
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The Rangers face one of their tunnel rivals, the Devils, at MSG tonight. New Jersey sits six points out of a playoff spot with 18 games remaining. New York is four points ahead of Carolina with a game in North Carolina tomorrow night between the two squads. The Blueshirts are in the midst of six games in nine days and five in seven. Already without Jacob Trouba, the team may be missing another blueliner today.
Rangers projected lineup vs. Devils:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Roslovic
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafrenière
Cuylle-Wennberg-Kakko
Vesey-Goodrow-Rempe
Lindgren-Ruhwedel
Miller-Schneider
Jones-Gustafsson
QuickShesterkin
Scratches: Trouba (lower-body injury), Brodzinski, Fox (illness)LTIR: Chytil, Wheeler
Adam Fox, who played through an illness Saturday, missed the morning skate due to the same. He is considered questionable for tonight and no guarantee he is able to dress tomorrow. With Trouba out, K'Andre Miller and Braden Schneider, who were very good against St. Louis, are paired again tonight. Miller's uptick in play has been noticeable while Scheneider thrived with the additional work and pressure. Tonight, they should be matched against the Devils' top line and Jack Hughes, so maintaining their lanes and positioning will be critical to limiting speed through the neutral zone.
If Fox does sit, Jack Ruhwedel will dress in his place. Ruhwedel likely will be paired with Ryan Lindgren in Fox's spot. The pairing are still up in the air but having Ruhwedel slide in for Fox, as the case might be, makes too much sense. That would allow Zac Jones to skate again with Erik Gustafsson. New York gets an early look at the depth blueliner brought in at the deadline, albeit in less than ideal circumstances.
The lines remain the same on offense. Today;s story line, beyond the usual as to how well the new units will mesh, certainly has to be Matt Rempe. Last time the two teams played, Rempe blasted Nathan Bastian, forcing him from the game at the time and earning Rempe a match penalty. Since then, Rempe has become even more of a fan favorite at MSG and on the road for the Rangers fans. On the New Jersey side, Kurtis MacDermid was acquired on March 1 and we all know at some point, the two will end up throwing hands. Rempe has brought a vibe to the team and Garden missing for years. He has shown he is more than just a big body that fights. But that likely won't matter this evening.
Jonathan Quick wll be between the pipes. Quick last started February 25, when he was left out to dry by his teammates. We knew he would start one of the back-to-backs. Playing tonight means that Igor Sehsterkin will be in net for the contest against the 'Canes.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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