The Rangers look to take a 2-0 series lead at MSG tonight. New York’s lineup, as seen below, should be exactly the same as Game 1, which is what we also saw throughout the entire Washington series. The same should exist for Carolina, though Maxime Comtois could slot onto the fourth line. Game 3 will be 7pm Thursday in Carolina.
Rangers probable lineup for Game 2 vs. Hurricanes:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Roslovic
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafrenière
Cuylle-Wennberg-Kakko
Vesey-Goodrow-Rempe
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Schneider
Gustafsson-Trouba
Shesterkin
Quick
Scratches: Brodzinski, Jones, Ruhwedel, Edstrom and Domingue
LTIR: Chytil, Wheeler
Matt Rempe skated with the extras this am creating a stir as to if he would be scratched. Rempe left early, an indicator he will dress tonight, plus he has shown up for the extra skate in am frequently, so his presence was not a surprise. The Rangers PR department made a faux pas not having Rempe available for the media, which was not well received as you can imagine.
Larry Brooks in his Post Sports+ column addressed the
Filip Chytil lineup speculation. Based on what he wrote today, Chytil getting back in the lineup seems to be a slight long shot. Until the team loses and/or Rempe must be taken out of the lineup, a change may not be forthcoming. In addition, even if one is needed, it’s also quite possible we see Jonny Brodzinski opt back in before we see Chytil. Having Chytil in the lineup is almost like a luxury, especially if the team gets a reasonable facsimile of the one we saw in the 2022 playoffs. But given then length of time he has missed and lack of game action, to expect him to step in at even close to that level or to be effective might be a stretch.
So other than the fact that Chytil — who materialized on the ice essentially out of nowhere on April 12 — has been cleared to practice without limitation, there has been no further information regarding the status of the Blueshirts’ 24-year-old center, who had been dealing with post-concussion issues since early November.
Head coach Peter Laviolette, as circumspect as they come, has never said Chytil is an option to join the lineup. We do not even know whether Chytil has medical clearance to return.
A few of my keys to the game:
1)
Stay out of the box - the Rangers have been phenomenal so far these playoffs on the penalty kill. But you also don’t want to tempt fate and give Carolina any momentum. Four penalties - yes, I know five, but one was negated after five seconds - is not ideal. Having an effective penalty kill has been a boon all season for the Rangers but Carolina will make tweaks after their Game 1 whitewash showing and staying out of the box as much as possible is the best way to avoid any possible let down. This is especially so with Sutherland as the ref since we all know he has great affinity for the Blueshirts.
2)
Third line production - not just defensively but offensively as well. With the last change at home, getting the Cuylle-Wennberg-Kakko line on the ice to match up against Carolina’s top line is paramount. The same in having Schneider-Miller pairing on against them as well. Take advantage of home ice. In addition, while the Wennberg has strong advanced metrics, a
little offense would be an incredible boon.
3)
Site lines for Shesterkin - New York did a great job blocking shots in Game 1 but also allowing to have clear site lines of pucks on net. Carolina will likely look to increase their shot volume from the opening faceoff which was not the case until the third period Sunday. This is the Canes Map as well as low to high passing and traffic in front of the net. The Rangers D and forwards need to continue to allow Igor as clear of view as possible to negate the additional pucks towards the net.
4)
Initial push - expect the Canes to have a massive push early. Sunday, they were engaged but not like we are used to what we saw from them in the past until the game was partway through. This should not be the case tonight. Carolina will be physical right from the opening face off and New York will have to match that intensity. Stay toe to toe with them early and that should allow for counter attacks.
In other news,
Artemi Panarin was snubbed as we expected to be a Hart Trophy finalist. The three we all figured, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid earned those spots. I don’t view their inclusion or Panarin’s exclusion as a slight against him. If going by what should be the true criteria for the award, hard to say any of those three or anyone in eventual was more valuable to his team than Panarin but we all know that’s not how the balloting worked. Honestly, let those three enjoy the individual award, give New York the big silver chalice at the end of the season and I am sure that would be more meaningful for Panarin.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»