New York Rangers host Vegas Golden Knights before very long All-Star Break
The New York Rangers will host the Vegas Golden Knights tonight in their final game before the All-Star Break.
While several teams play games up until next Wednesday, the Blueshirts will have 9 days off before returning to play the Calgary Flames at the Garden on Monday February 6. That will give the team plenty of time to nurse any nagging injuries and recharge their batteries with loved ones.
Here’s tonight’s game and broadcast info:
New York Rangers (26-14-8) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (29-17-3)
Date/Time: January 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG
Radio: ESPN 98.7
New York Rangers take on Golden Knights
The Blueshirts (60 pts) are looking to head into this break on a high note. A win against the Golden Knights will go a long way in trying to keep pace with the second-place Devils (66 pts) and Metro division leading Hurricanes (68 pts).
While the Devils and Hurricanes also play tonight, Carolina will play twice more before the All-Star game eventually giving the Rangers a game in hand.
Coming into action versus Vegas, the Rangers have been on a solid run since the Trouba Helmet Toss against the Chicago Blackhawks going 15-4-3. In those numbers is a record of 8-3-0 at the Garden. However, starting with a lackluster loss to the Canadiens on January 15, the Rangers are 2-2-1 in their last five.
Gerard Gallant was prompted to do some line juggling to find more balance from his group and hopefully get a spark. After reuniting the Kid Line and tweaking his top two units by moving Artemi Panarin away from Vincent Trocheck to Mika Zibanejad’s left side, they crushed the Florida Panthers 6-2. They then followed it up with a 3-2 overtime loss in Toronto to the Maple Leafs.
“We got away from it in the third and gave [Toronto] too many looks,” Jacob Trouba explained. “A team that good is going to capitalize if you give them too many good chances.”
Igor Shesterkin is likely to get his fourth consecutive start even though he’ll be heading to Florida to play in the All-Star Game next weekend. This season, he’s 21-8-7 with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
The 27 year-old has only played one career game against the Knights where he posted a win and finished the match with a GAA of 2.89 and a .962 save percentage.
Update: Jaroslav Halak gets the start.
Golden Knights look to get on track
Speaking of teams that are running hot and cold lately, the Vegas Golden Knights are 2-5-1 in their last 8 games. They’re in a heated battle with the surprising Seattle Kraken for first place in the Pacific Division as each have 61 points.
Vegas is coming off an OT loss to the Devils on Tuesday and looking to avoid a three-game losing streak. So you can bet that Vegas will be charged up for this matchup.
On the injury front, forward William Carrier (16 points in 43 games) will be back after suffering an upper-body injury. More importantly is the possibility of defenseman Shea Theodore (22 points in 29 games) returning. He’s a game-time decision with a lower-body injury.
One key player that is out until after the All-Star break is captain Mark Stone (38 points in 43 games) as he deals with an upper-body injury.
Logan Thompson is expected to get the start in net and has been struggling going 1-4-1 in his last six games.
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