After going 1-1 on a two-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild and the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers (2-1-0) return home to play the Anaheim Ducks (1-1-0) on Oct. 17. They will look to rebound from a 4-1 defeat to the Jets with a better showing on home ice against a club that has averaged 43 shots against per game played (SA/GP), which is 31st in the NHL, so it will be a good opportunity for them to create plenty of scoring opportunities.
The Ducks are coming off a 7-1 loss on Oct. 15 to the New York Islanders. Two former Rangers, Ryan Strome, and Frank Vatrano will return to Madison Square Garden as members of the opposition and each has the motivation to have a good game against their former team. Here’s our gameday preview.
New York Rangers Projected Lineup
Forwards
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Kaapo Kakko
Artemi Panarin – Vincent Trocheck – Alexis Lafreniere
Jimmy Vesey – Filip Chytil – Sammy Blais
Dryden Hunt – Barclay Goodrow – Ryan Reaves
Defense
Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller – Jacob Trouba
Libor Hajek/Zac Jones – Braden Schneider
Goaltenders
Igor Shesterkin – Jaroslav Halak
Blais Set to Return, Kravtsov Practicing, Carpenter Injured Against Jets
Blais is anticipating his first game in 11 months as he suffered a season-ending injury, a torn ACL, during a game against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 14, 2021. He is recovering from an upper-body injury he sustained during an exhibition contest on Oct. 8 versus the Islanders. He maintained a positive mindset after his most recent ailment:
“I’m not going to lie to you, that was a tough week for me sitting out after I’d worked so hard to be ready. But at the same time, I knew it was just a bump in the road. I wasn’t going to allow that to discourage me. I knew I needed to stay positive and that it was not going to be long. So I focused on what I needed to do. I’m very excited about this, now. I’m looking forward to it” (from ‘Rangers’ Sammy Blais set for long-awaited injury return vs. Ducks,’ New York Post, 10/16/22).
Vitali Kravtsov practiced on Oct. 16 in a non-contact yellow jersey as he continues to work his way back from the upper-body injury he sustained during the game on Oct. 11 against the Lightning. Ryan Carpenter will miss the contest versus the Ducks while recovering from a laceration he suffered against the Jets. Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant commented that “He’s doing okay – I haven’t heard anything. Day-to-day.”
Anaheim Ducks Projected Lineup
Forwards
Mason McTavish – Strome – Troy Terry
Vatrano – Trevor Zegras – Pavol Regenda
Adam Henrique – Isac Lundestrom – Max Comtois
Max Jones – Derek Grant – Jakob Silfverberg
Defense
Cam Fowler – John Klingberg
Dmitry Kulikov – Jamie Drysdale
Simon Benoit/Nathan Beaulieu – Kevin Shattenkirk
Goaltenders
John Gibson – Anthony Stolarz
Former Rangers Strome & Vatrano Return to Madison Square Garden
Strome and Vatrano will play their first game at Madison Square Garden as members of the Ducks’ roster. Strome’s tenure with the franchise lasted over three years and he described that his return will “(It’ll) probably be weird, but not emotional,” (from ‘Ex-Ranger Ryan Strome preparing for ‘weird’ Garden return with Ducks, New York Post, 10/15/22). He commented that the Original Six franchise came a long way during the period from his arrival to his departure from the organization, “I think for me it was just where we were to where we got to. I was there a little bit after The Letter went out, they started tearing down a little bit. Saw so much change, but I think the core group of us just [kind of] being there and[kind of] pulling ourselves out of the basement a little bit was a great feeling.”
Related: Ducks Sign Ryan Strome to Five-Year Deal
Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins may decide to put defenseman Colton White and forward Brett Leason in the lineup either against the Rangers or on Oct. 18 against the Devils. The club is looking to get back to basics after the 7-1 loss to the Islanders to prevent falling into an early-season deficit on their current five-game road trip. They need to correct defensive lapses due to allowing 11 goals combined in their first two games.
Players To Watch
New York Rangers – Artemi Panarin
Panarin is the only Ranger to have points in all three games this season. He is off to a great start with five assists, a year after finishing with 74 in 75 regular season games. He has adjusted well to playing with the addition of Trocheck, the replacement for Strome. The 30-year-old forward is capable of having multiple points in every game he plays, which demonstrates why he is one of the league’s top dynamic playmakers.
Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Strome
The former Ranger is off to a good start with the Ducks this season with one goal and two assists. He will aim to do his part to help them get a win and put the blowout loss against the Islanders behind them. He is projected to be a significant player for them based on his role on their first line.
Tonight’s game has a 7:00 ET start time at Madison Square Garden and will be broadcast on MSG. The game against the Ducks is the start of a four-game homestand for the Rangers.
*Ducks lines from @AlysonLozoff on Twitter. Rangers lines from @ColinSNewsday on Twitter.