Rangers vs. Bruins: 3 things to watch for in 1st game after massive J.T. Miller trade
The New York Rangers will have a familiar face returning to their lineup when they visit the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon. J.T. Miller, who played his first 341 NHL games with the Rangers, was re-acquired Friday night in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks and is expected to be in the lineup Saturday.
The Rangers landed Miller, defenseman Erik Brannstrom and a college defenseman prospect from the Canucks for center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
What immediate impact Miller will have on the Rangers is to be seen. The Rangers play five games in eight days before the 4 Nations Faceoff break here in February.
Back-to-back losses to the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes left a bad taste in the Rangers mouth after an otherwise successful January (8-3-3). Following three days off they play an important game against the Bruins (25-22-6), who are four points ahead of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference standings, though neither team sits in a playoff spot at the moment.
For New York (24-22-4), every game has the feel and importance of playoff hockey. Stuck in a very congested race for the playoffs, every game – especially those against teams in the hunt – is must win. At the moment, the Rangers are five points back of the second wild-card spot.
However, New York has a prime opportunity to make up some ground. After traveling to TD Garden on Saturday, they’ll welcome the Bruins to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, sandwiching a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The Rangers have had plenty of time to stew over their shutout loss to the Hurricanes. The loss marked their second in a row, the first being a promising, yet frustrating 5-4 loss to the Avalanche. New York did not put up a noteworthy effort against Carolina; Andrei Svechnikov netted a goal 56 seconds in to immediately put the Rangers on their heels in an eventual 4-0 final.
Related: Jimmy Vesey ‘dying being here’ with Rangers, upset over lack of playing time
3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Bruins
1. It’s Miller time
After months of heavy speculation, Miller is back with the Rangers, who drafted him in the first round (No. 15) of the 2011 draft and then traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018. He developed into a star after being traded to the Canucks, a stint which included a 103-points season in 2023-24.
He has only 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 40 games this season, took a 10-game leave of absence for personal reasons and feuded with star center Elias Pettersson, which landed him on the trade block. At his best, Miller is a highly-skilled forward, who plays a tenacious style and leads with an abrasive personality — all traits general manager Chris Drury covets for the current roster.
The Rangers are deep down the middle now with Miller, Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. It’ll be interesting how coach Peter Laviolette settles on line combinations, whether Miller lands on the top power-play unit and whether or not the 31-year-old will play some on the wing, too.
2. New month, fresh start
The Rangers got hot in January and saved their season with a 10-game point streak (7-0-3). But they did cool off in their final two games against quality opposition and did fall into some bad habits with poor defensive play and questionable decision making.
The game Saturday offers the Rangers a reset after three days off, and the calendar flipped to another month. Just like the beginning of January, this is a fresh start for the Rangers
The 4 Nations Faceoff presents a nearly full two-week break in the schedule of no games for the Blueshirts. With only nine games to play in February, the month will fly by; the Rangers need to make the most of it. Before we know it it’ll be March, and the season will be in its final stages. For New York to make the playoffs, they will need to make the most of the abbreviated month.
3. Take advantage of slumping Bruins
Boston had a rough month, 5-7-2 including two blowout losses in their past two games. First, the Buffalo Sabres hung a seven-spot on Boston to defeat them 7-2 on Tuesday, then the Winnipeg Jets piled on with a 6-2 win Thursday.
The recent cold streak has resulted in a freefall for Boston, which has fallen out of the top three in the Atlantic, and into the wild-card conversation. They enter Saturday one point out of the second wild card in the East.
The Rangers trail the Bruins by four points, but the two sides face off twice in the next five days. Two regulation wins for the Rangers could even them with the Bruins, catching a team that’s ahead of them in the standings. First things first, though. The Bruins are reeling and the Rangers must jump them on Saturday.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Zibanejad – Smith
Kreider – J.T. Miller – Brodzinski
Edstrom – Carrick – Rempe
Lindgren – Fox
K. Miller – Borgen
Vaakanainen – Schneider
Shesterkin
Quick
Rangers vs. Bruins: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins
When: Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden
How to watch: MSG
More About:New York Rangers News
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