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Game 39: NYR-PIT, Division rivals meet at MSG, power play, trade deadline |
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New York, off closing out 2018 with road wins in Nashville and St. Louis, take on Pittsburgh at MSG tonight to kick off the New Year. The Penguins rode the fine play of Matt Murray and Casey DeSmith between the pipes into a strong December record and third place in the Metro Division. Match-ups between these two teams always have a bit of juice regardless of record; today’s game should be no different.
Probable Lines:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Fast
Namestnikov-Hayes-Zuccarello
Nieves-Howden-Buchnevich
McLeod-Strome-Vesey
Filip Chytil was a healthy scratch Monday. No word yet on if he will return to the lineup. Boo Nieves, playing for Chytil, notched his second goal in three contests and deserves to remain on the active roster.
Skjei-McQuaid
Staal-Pionk
DeAngelo-Shattenkirk
On the blue line, Frederik Claesson and Brendan Smith were the healthy scratches Monday. Both may very well remain out of the lineup again tonight. Quinn will need to continue to juggle eight defensemen for six spots, scratching at least one player who likely deserves to play.
Lundqvist
Five forward power play:
Coach David Quinn with the power play struggling opted to go with a five-forward look. After the first game, Quinn used the term “kaboom,” seemingly indicating this alignment would be blown up. So much for that idea, as Quinn decided to keep the group together and has been rewarded with a goal for the third straight game Monday against St. Louis.
The player and puck movement hasn’t always been seamless. But you can see signs of the pressure the unit can create and why they might remain together. Hayes has looked good at the top of the quintet, though I still prefer the 4-1 or 3-2 set up, a la the second unit
Vladislav Namestnikov-Chris Kreider-Kevin Hayes-Mats Zuccarello-Mika Zibanejad
Jimmy Vesey-Brett Howden-Pavel Buchnevich-Neal Pionk-Kevin Shattenkirk
Trade Deadline:
Hayes is now eligible to be signed long-term. Inked to a one-year, $5.175 million contract after the two sides failed to find common ground on a multi-year deal, New York and Hayes can re-engage now that January 1 has passed. The direction in which the Rangers could and should go may be the most polarizing discussion amongst the fan base.
Many believe New York should maximize Hayes’ strong start, parlaying his play into picks and future assets. Others hold that dealing him would be a monumental mistake because he is finally hitting the level that several hoped he could reach but looked unlikely seeing his production under coach Alain Vigneaut. My view on this has been fairly clear. I still believe Hayes could produce more and/or at a minimum, remain at this level. But I am very cognizant of the view that some hold that Hayes might be complacent after signing a long-term deal, resulting in a substantive decline in output.
Mats Zuccarello, who scored his first goal since October 30 on Monday, is the most likely player to be dealt by the February 25 deadline. Adam McQuaid is second on that list. Claesson could go as well, but signing him to a reasonable deal for a few seasons might be a wise course of action. Hayes’ path is the difficult decision for GM Jeff Gorton and team management. Similar could be said for Chris Kreider, due to his breakthrough campaign to date, and yes, TPC, I don’t think he should go anywhere.
The next seven-plus weeks will be a bit crazy. Right now, the Rangers are still technically in a playoff race, but that’s likely fools gold. As the season meanders closer to February 25, we will have a clearer sense as to the direction the brass will go and who is probable to head elsewhere for picks and prospects, similar to last season after “The Letter” was released.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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