Rangers Roundup: Wild Card watch, Di Giuseppe time, and notes vs Blues
The Rangers look to get back on track but to do so they need to beat the defending champs on Garden ice. It won’t be easy, but Alexandar Georgiev is back in net after a loss to the Flyers where he gave up five. Here’s the latest.
Wild Card Watch
Tonight’s action has the Rangers taking on the Blues at home and the Islanders facing off against the Canadiens. A win by the Rangers puts them at 76 points. With both Carolina and Columbus idle, it would be a huge boost to their playoff chances.
Di Giuseppe on top line
Phil Di Giuseppe has earned a shot to fill in Kreider’s role due to his comparative size, speed, and playing style. While he isn’t expected to score like Kreider, he will need to be a physical presence in the corners and in front.
“I love his pace. He plays a lot like [Jesper] Fast. He’s got that hardworking mentality. He gets to the net. He plays at a pace and he can create room for Buchy and Mika,” Quinn said. “We’ll start it that way [Tuesday] and see how it goes.
NYPOST
Pre-Game Notes
- All-Time: 81-45-16-2 (48-14-6-1 at home; 33-31-10-1 on the road)
- Today’s game is the second of two meetings between the Rangers and Blues, and the only meeting between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 0-1-0 record (0-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road), following the Blues’ 5-2 win on Jan. 11 at St. Louis.
- Alexandar Georgiev – 2 GP, 1-0-1, 2.97 GAA, .924 SV% – Georgiev made 44 saves and earned a win in his last appearance against the Blues on Mar. 29, 2019 at MSG.
- Artemi Panarin – 15 GP, 4-12-16 – Panarin has tallied an assist/point in each of his last three games against St. Louis (six assists over the span), and he has posted a multi-assist/point game in two of the three contests. He has recorded an assist/point in seven of his last nine games against the Blues, tallying 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) over the span.
- Mika Zibanejad – 12 GP, 5-7-12 – Zibanejad has tallied a point in six of the last eight games (four goals, four assists) and in nine of 12 career games against the Blues. He has also tallied three goals in the last five games and four goals in the last seven games against the Blues.
Notes courtesy of NYR PR Dept
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