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Game 65 NYR-WAS, Hajek's debut Friday, Howden returns today, other changes |
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The Rangers look to rebound from a 4-2 loss to the Canadiens on Friday, facing the Capitals for the second straight Sunday, this time at MSG. Bad bounces, Joel Armia and a hot Carey Price led to Friday's defeat. Price was brilliant in the first, keeping Montreal in the game, while a bad bounce off the boards led to the second goal of the game and lead for the Canadiens, which they never relinquished. Armia netted a hat trick in the win, sending New York to 27-27-10 on the season. Today, Brett Howden, who has missed the last 14 games since sustaining a sprained MCL during the first period of the Blueshirts’ Jan. 29 match against the Flyers, should return to the lineup.
Lines versus Montreal:
20 Kreider - 93 Zibanejad - 26 Vesey
90 Namestnikov - 16 Strome - 17 Fast
48 Lemieux - 50 Andersson - 89 Buchnevich
42 Smith - 24 Nieves - 23 Brickley
18 Staal - 77 DeAngelo
76 Skjei - 22 Shattenkirk
43 Hajek - 44 Pionk
30 Lundqvist
40 Georgiev
Changes for today:
Smith stays at F. Thought Nieves had played well enough to remain in but who else would be scratched? Surprised Chytil is back, thought he would be benched for a period of time, unsure if two games is really a while.
Quinn Pre-Game:
Pretty cool stats:
David Quinn Post-Game Friday:
Vlad Namestnikov comes into today's game on a four-game point streak, including his ninth goal of the season on one of his career-high seven shots against Montreal on Friday. The goal was his fifth in eight games. Nam posted six of his seven shots in the first 25 minutes, and after a very slow start to the season, has found his game. He was the best Ranger on the ice against the Canadiens,
Brendan Lemieux continues to impress. The goal was nice, but his overall presence on the ice is noticeable. He is more than willing to mix it up and be part of all the action. Lemieux is still finding his skating legs, playing 15:24 and 12:28 the past two games after averaging just over seven minutes per game in Winnipeg, Just wait until he is in game shape. As I have said before, I would love to see him with Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson, though Lemieux-Andersson-Pavel Buchnevich has been a nice trio to watch.
If Howden, does play, who sits? This is something we debated the other day for which their is no clear answer. Does Brendan Smith, who has played well since moving to left wing, draw the short straw? Maybe it's Connor Brickley, who along with Smith and Boo Nieves, has created a solid fourth line? Beyond those two, who else should ride pine? Then what happens when Filip Chytil, sitting for a third straight game Sunday, is removed from the Quinn bin?
Larry Brooks very clearly spelled out how much, after a good to the season, Howden struggled. "After recording 12 points (4-8) in his first 20 games while a staple on the second power-play and penalty-kill rotation, Howden recorded three points — all assists — over his final 28 games, even while maintaining his specialty-team roles for most of that stretch. His peripheral numbers were even more ghastly — 38.8 percent Corsi, 37.9 shot share, minus-12 (8/20) rating — over the period beginning Nov. 21 for a team whose overall underlying stats are generally the worst in the league." Those are ugly numbers. Howden, from a confidence and just pure flipping the script perspective, needs a strong finish to the season. He doesn't have to score a point a game, but he needs to show that what we saw the first 20 games is the real Howden and the the next 28 contests.
Much of the talk, including from David Quinn and Henrik Lundqvist, after Friday's loss was how well Libor Hajek played. Hajek played 17:35, 23 shifts worth, had a couple of shots on goal, took a penalty (questionable), was credited with two takeaways. Maybe the AHL performance wasn't the real Hajek and he will be better at this level. But it's just one game and let's see what happens when the league gets a real good read on his strengths and weakness. Plus as we have seen with others, like Neal PIonk and John Gilmour, late-season play after a call up is not always an indicator as to how well someone will play moving forward. That said, Hajek did not look out of place and was steady on the blueline.
“I thought Libor had a really good night,” Quinn said. “I thought he was poised. He was fluid. I thought he defended well and looked confident with the puck. I liked a lot of his game.”
Henrik Lundqvist, who lost Friday, did not have a particularly good February. For the month, he went 1-5-2 with a 3.14 goals-against average (GAA) and .907 save percentage over his past eight starts. As noted in one of the game recaps, February represented the first full, non-April month of the Swede’s 14-year career in which he won only one game. Let that number sink in. In contrast, Alexandar Georgiev is 4-1-1 with a 2.95 GAA and .915 save percentage over his past six outings. Quinn has basically alternated the two goalies the past month or so, since the All-Star break. Georgie has deserved more time, while the concern level over Hank's performance, especially with two years left on his deal, has to be slightly higher than previous. This isn't the first season he has struggled as the year wore on, which in this year, could help draft position, but what does it mean moving forward?
Carp noted that defenseman Joey Keane, selected by the Rangers in the third round of the draft last June, signed his entry-level contract Friday, per his agent Keith McKittrick, via Twitter. Keane is playing for Barrie in the OHL. Keane nearly made the USA WJC team this year.
Igor Shestyorkin received a game misconduct and then a one-game suspension for this trip: