NY Rangers practice buzz: Top players still out tonight as Igor Shesterkin to start

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jacob trouba covid
Feb 14, 2020; Columbus, Ohio, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) skates for the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (28) in the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The list of key players out tonight still has Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, Ryan Lindgren on it. Brett Howden is out for the season with a broken foot. The Blueshirts got a little scare when Artemi Panarin missed practice but he will play tonight.

Rangers: 26-20-6 (58 pts)
Capitals: 32-14-5 (69 pts)

(7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG 2, Radio: ESPN 1050 AM)

Igor Shesterkin set to take shorthanded Rangers up against the Capitals

Rangers rookie goalie, Igor Shesterkin will take his undefeated lifetime record into tonight’s matchup with the Capitals. In three appearances he is 3-0-0 with a stellar 1.67 GAA and a sparkling .946 SV%.

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Elsa/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

There were a lot of changes displayed by David Quinn in practice. Primarily we will see Ryan Strome center a line with Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière on it tonight. Artemi Panarin will join Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich on the first unit.

On defense, it looks like Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller will be paired. Of course, this is all subject to change within the first period.

New York Rangers Pregame Notes

  • All-Time vs Capitals: 103-99-18-11 (57-44-9-5 at home; 46-55-9-6 on the road)
  • The Rangers are one of six teams (and the only team in the MassMutual NHL East Division) that rank 10th or better in the NHL in both goals per game and goals against per game this season.
  • New York ranks 10th in the NHL in goals per game this season (3.19). The Rangers are on pace to average at least 3.00 goals per game in two consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995-96 and 1996-97. Including team goals awarded for a shootout win, the Rangers have tallied three or more goals in each of their 26 wins in 2020-21.
  • The Rangers rank ninth in the NHL in goals against per game (2.63) and rank 13th in the NHL in shots on goal against per game (29.2) this season. The Blueshirts are the only NHL team that has registered at least 1,200 hits, 700 blocked shots, and 350 takeaways in 2020-21.

Notes courtesy NYR

NHL Rumors

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By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL... More about Anthony Scultore

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