Tanner Glass WILL PLAY tonight in Tampa based on extras skate this AM

Anthony Scultore Updated: Mar 6, 2017

Tanner Glass will replace Matt Puempel against the Lightning tonight. After another lackluster and timid performance against an Eastern Conference playoff team, Alain Vigneault will go with adding a spark to his placid lineup.

Raanta, Grabner, Puempel and Clendening skating this morning in Tampa.

— Justin Tasch (@J_Tasch) March 6, 2017

I do think that pulling Adam Clendening as well for Steven Kampfer may be a bit rash. Listen, I understand that Clendening is a nightmare in his own zone but the Rangers have struggled to score and he can help provide some of that at least.

Did Lundqvist’s Comments add the Final Straw?

Steve Zipay brought forth a very interesting comment to my attention from Henrik Lundqvist.

“It’s the mindset to will yourself to win battles all over the ice. I think this game is all about battles, and that’s been the biggest difference in our last four games — winning the battles all over the ice, in front of the net, along the boards. Then I need to come up with the big save when I have to. We need to have more desperation than the other team.”

In that game versus Montreal, Lundqvist received a stick to the throat (courtesy of Brady Skjei) and got hit by Brenden Gallagher…again. Enough is enough. Teams know that if Lundqvist is zoned in he’s impossible to beat. They also know that a few good bumps can get him off his game as well.

Those comments may seem innocuous to some, but to me they scream “GET ME SOME DAMN PROTECTION”! It wouldn’t surprise me that AV and Gorton realizing they failed to land an Alex Burrows, Dwight King, or Steve Ott at the deadline so they went to the only player in the organization that could help Hank.