Rangers vs. Wild: 3 things to watch for in first meeting this season
Hard to believe that it’s mid-March and there’s still a team that the New York Rangers haven’t played yet this season. But that is the case with the Minnesota Wild, though the teams will meet Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.
It’s an important game for each side. The Rangers (31-28-6) have lost four straight (0-2-2), including 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets to begin this current three-game road trip Tuesday. New York is tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference with two teams, though just two points out of the second wild card.
The Wild (37-24-4) are the first wild card in the Western Conference and are in a good spot, seven points clear of the ninth-place Vancouver Canucks. They’ve lost five of eight (3-5-0) since Feb. 25, though, and remain without injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.
Minnesota is not great on home ice (15-14-1) and not a powerhouse team offensively without their main weapon, Kaprizov. They are 24th in the NHL averaging 2.74 goals per game and 21st on the power play (20.0 percent).
Perhaps an area where the Rangers can attack the Wild is on their own power play. Though struggling badly of late, the Rangers did manage to score a power-play goal against the Jets on Tuesday and will face the 31st-ranked PK in the League on Thursday against the Wild.
Grabbing a lead is key again for the Rangers, this time because the Wild are 25-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.
Related: What’s next for Rangers after re-signing Jonathan Quick, further fortifying roster next season
3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Wild
1. Switching it up
Based on the line rushes at the morning skate, the Rangers will flip a pair of young forwards to give them fresh looks with new linemates.
Alexis Lafreniere was removed from his longtime spot next to Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin, and instead skated with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. Will Cuylle shifted off that line and skated with Panarin and Trocheck.
Lafreniere is without a goal in 13 games and sits on 14 this season, half the amount he scored (28) in his breakout year last season. Cuylle has one assist in four games, though he scored four goals in seven games before that.
2. Zuuuuc!
Hard to believe former Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello is 37 years old now and in his 15th NHL season, sixth with the Wild. The popular 5-foot-8 forward still brings plenty of energy and production, currently fourth on the Wild with 15 goals and 41 points in 52 games. He’s scored 63 points or more each of the past three seasons, including 79 in 2021-22.
Zuccarello has 322 points in 376 games with the Wild, and had 352 points in 509 games with the Rangers. Including a brief stont with the Dallas Stars, Zuccarello is the all-time scoring leader from Norway (677 points) and is 13 games shy of 900 in the NHL.
3. Zac attack
Results are mixed with Zac Jones in the lineup, filling in for the injured Adam Fox, who’s missing his eighth straight game Thursday with an upper-body issue. However, Fox is on the road trip and took part again in the morning skate Thursday, though wearing a no-contact jersey. But it’s clear that Fox is getting closer to returning.
That means Jones is closer to finding a seat in the press box again soon, a spot he loathes and been more often than not this season. This was his big opportunity to show the Rangers — and other teams — what he’s made of. He has two assists in seven games and the power play is 2-for-23 with him running point. Jones had handled the increased TOI, but his defensive zone play has been spotty. He may be running out of opportunities to leave his mark.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Panarin – Trocheck – Cuylle
Lafreniere – J.T. Miller- Zibanejad
Kreider – Carrick – Berard
Othmann – Brodzinski – Rempe
K. Miller – Borgen
Vaakanaien – Schneider
Soucy – Jones
Shesterkin
Quick
Rangers vs. Wild: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild
When: Thursday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xcel Energy Center
How to watch: MSG
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