New York Rangers Daily: Blueshirts return on near horizon; Canucks’ Brock Boeser decision in question
We’re hit the homestretch of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which means the New York Rangers will return to practice and game action later this week. This fun midseason diversion is almost over, and the grind and angst of the playoff chase resumes shortly.
The Rangers return to game action Saturday against the Sabres in Buffalo and then are right back at it Sunday, traveling to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins. That means at least four Rangers –and maximum five — will participate in the 4 Nations championship game Thursday, rejoin the Blueshirts Friday and then jump right back into the NHL schedule with back-to-back games on the weekend.
Those players could bring the high-level and intensity from this tournament into their Rangers return, or they could have somewhat of a letdown. Either way, it bears watching. Coming out of the gates against two lesser teams in the Eastern Conference doesn’t hurt, but guarantees nothing for the Rangers.
Heading into Monday’s clash against the United States, Mika Zibanejad has had an impactful tournament for Sweden. He’s been one of their top players and probably should have more goals than just one so far.
It’s been a pretty quiet first two games for Adam Fox with Team USA. He hasn’t been a standout, though good defensively on a talented U.S. squad. J.T. Miller hasn’t recorded a point but has excelled all over the ice and been a physical force. Vincent Trocheck’s been quietly effective, so far, for the U.S. Chris Kreider hasn’t played yet, but likely will Monday against Sweden.
Urho Vaakanainen’s played some important minutes on Finland’s blue line.
As long as each comes back to the Rangers healthy, it’s hard to call this tournament anything but a success from the Blueshirts point of view.
But let’s see what transpires Monday. Finland skates against Canada in the afternoon, and Team USA plays Sweden at night, as the tournament shifts to TD Garden in Boston. We will know after Monday, which country will play the United States in the Final and which two are headed home.
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New York Rangers news
After being a healthy scratch the first two games, here’s why Chris Kreider will very likely make his 4 Nations debut for the United States on Monday.
So, it appears J.T. Miller and the Tkachuk brothers strategized about how to ambush Canada and set the tone for the United States in a 3-1 win Saturday.
Good for ex-Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko, who played a strong game for Finland in an overtime win against Sweden after being a healthy scratch in their 4 Nations opener.
The NHL announced its quarter century team for the United States, and it featured Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and goalie Jonathan Quick — though Quick was selected almost exclusively for his body of work with the Los Angeles Kings.
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Cale Makar vowed to do everything in his power to play for Canada on Monday against Finland. He missed the loss to Team USA because of an illness.
Coming off an overtime win Saturday, Finland will once again start Kevin Lankinen in goal. Juuse Saros allowed six goals in their first game, a 6-1 loss to the United States.
Canada coach Jon Cooper has not publicly said who will start in goal for Canada on Monday, though it’s expected Jordan Binnington will make his third straight start. The other options are Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault.
Matthew Tkachuk was still being evaluated Sunday for a lower-body injury sustained in the win against Canada. All signs point to him not playing Monday, giving Chris Kreider a chance to get into a game.
From the LOL department: former NHL star Keith Tkachuk says his sons Matthew and Brady are “lunatics,” only in the most loving way, of course.
Apparently it’s not sitting well with some that the Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Marcus Pettersson to a long-term extension shortly after acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but have yet to sign pending UFA Brock Boeser.
It’s possible the Penguins could try to extend defenseman Matt Grzelcyk instead of trading the pending UFA ahead of the March 7 deadline.
OK, yes, it’s the Islanders, but a good job by their social media team asking several players — like captain Anders Lee, veteran Brock Nelson and Long Island native Kyle Palmieri — so show off their best Long Island accents!
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