New look Rangers get set to take on Blues at Garden
The New York Rangers will have a new look after acquiring forwards Alexander Wennberg and Jack Roslovic, plus depth defenseman Chad Ruhwedel at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
All three are expected in the lineup after it was announced Friday that Jacob Trouba would miss up to three weeks with a lower body injury. Additionally, Adam Edstrom was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack, but Matt Rempe will stick around on the fourth line or as the extra forward.
The Rangers are coming of a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers and are 1-2-1 in their past four after winning 10 straight. However, the new additions are ready to give the team a boost by filling holes due to injuries. That includes Wennberg, who will take over as the third-line center after Filip Chytil was lost for the season.
“Obviously, [the Rangers] have the firepower really offensively, so for me coming in as a third-line center I think is perfect,” Wennberg said Thursday after his acquisition. “I can play both sides, so if it’s to play a 200-foot game or the PK, I’m ready for it.”
Meanwhile, Kaapo Kakko has remained with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider at practice this week, but that could change with Roslovic’s late addition on Friday, just 15 minutes before the deadline ended.
The 27-year-old may slot in on that line or start with fellow new addition Wennberg and left wing Will Cuylle on the third line. Regardless, one thing is clear, he’s a straight-line player that’s effective in gaining the zone thanks to his wheels.
“Speed, hands, scoring,” Agent Claude Lemieux told Forever Blueshirts about what the Rangers are getting in Roslovic. “And able to play with any of the top players they have!”
Finally, the 33-year-old Ruhwedel will likely replace the injured Trouba. A veteran of 12 NHL seasons, he’s a right-handed shot that can play both sides.
Here’s today’s game and broadcast info:
New York Rangers (40-18-4) vs St. Louis Blues (32-28-3)
Date/Time: March 9, 2024 @ 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG
Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM
Note: Subject to change, updated for each game
Related: Rangers add Jack Roslovic at end of trade deadline
New York Rangers projected lineup
Here’s the expected lineup:
Kreider – Zibanejad – Roslovic
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Wennberg – Kakko
Vesey – Goodrow – Rempe
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Schneider
Jones – Gustafsson
Shesterkin
Quick
Update: Coach Peter Laviolette said at optional morning skate that Braden Schneider will move up to take Trouba’s spot next to K’Andre Miller and that he’s still sorting out what the bottom defense pairing will look like. It is believed that Jonny Brodzinski and Ruhwedel will be the healthy scratches, but that’s not official.
New York Rangers vs St. Louis Blues
The Rangers sit at 84 points and are four points up on the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. As the teams fight for first-place, Carolina went big at the deadline acquiring top trade target Jake Guentzel, whom the Blueshirts refused to pay the hefty price needed to acquire a rental. Also, the Canes traded for Evgeny Kuznetsov in order to bolster their offensive attack.
All that being said, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is just focused on dealing with the next matchup versus the Blues.
“Having a couple of days off was good,” he noted. “Back to work with games. It gets really busy with the schedule, so we’ll take advantage of the rest we had.”
This season, the Blueshirts are 21-8-0 at the Garden and 6-1-0 in their last seven contests on home ice.
The Blues are 14-17-2 on the road, have lost two straight and sit six points out of the second wild card in the Western Conference. They remained pat at the deadline, despite talk they could trade former Blueshirts forward Pavel Buchnevich.
This is the second and final meeting between the teams this season. Jordan Kyrou had a hat trick in a 5-2 Blues win Jan. 11 in St. Louis.
Upcoming Rangers Milestones
- Jonathan Quick is 1 win away from tying Dominik Hasek (389) for 15th all-time
- Igor Shesterkin is 1 game away from 200 in his career
- K’Andre Miller is 1 point away from 100 career points
- Chris Kreider is 4 goals aways from 300 in his career
- Vincent Trocheck is 1 game away from 700 in his career
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