Yes, as in a two-game winning streak! Their first consecutive wins since Nov. 14-19, when they won three in a row.

Their latest victory, 2-1 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday likely made for a good day off on Sunday. Probably plenty of watching NFL playoff games and perhaps a peek at some of the five NHL games on tap.

If the Rangers did pay attention to any of the NHL games, well, there was a mixed bag for them. Two of teams the Rangers are battling with for a wild- card spot in the Eastern Conference — the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings — each won. A third, the pretty lousy Pittsburgh Penguins, lost. Though Sidney Crosby and Co. are two points up on the Rangers, the Penguins feel like a non-factor. They’ve played three more games than the Rangers and just aren’t very good.

Not much scoreboard watching Monday for the Rangers after practice, though. The Philadelphia Flyers, one point behind the Blueshirts, host the Florida Panthers. But like the Penguins, the Flyers feel like a non-factor.

Then again, can the Rangers (20-20-2) look down on any other team? They are, after all, sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 13th in the East, even if the arrow is pointing up finally.

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New York Rangers news

John Kreiser wrote about how there’s a different look and feel with the Rangers these days, really since the start of the New Year. The Rangers feel believe they “found something” and hope to hold on to it.

Tom Castro delved into how Sam Carrick’s evolved into an unlikely key ingredient in the Rangers’ recent success.

In case you missed them, here are our three takeaways from the Rangers’ most recent win in Vegas on Saturday.

NHL news

Eric Staal — a Ranger for a flash in 2016 after the trade deadline — had his No. 12 retired by the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. The 2006 Stanley Cup champion (when Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was behind Carolina’s bench) is the Hurricanes all-time leader in nearly every offensive category, including points (775).

In another celebration of sorts, Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was saluted by the Vegas Golden Knights and their fans in what could’ve been his final appearance at T-Mobile Arena, with all signs pointing to his impending retirement. Fleury played four seasons with the Golden Knights and was on their inaugural team that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2018.

The Vancouver Canucks placed defenseman Erik Brannstrom on waivers.

Cutter Gauthier was booed mercilessly by Flyers fans when he played his first game in Philadelphia with the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. The rookie forward is reviled for seeking a trade from the Flyers after being a first-round pick (No. 5 overall) by them in 2022. For his part, Flyers coach John Tortorella called the whole spectacle “bullshit.”

Gauthier and the Ducks were shut out by the Flyers 6-0 but bounced back Sunday with a 3-2 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 20-year-old scored two goals, including the game-winner in OT and now has seven goals this season.

It was a bad day for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only did they lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2, but star center Evgeni Malkin was placed on IR — though that was more of a procedural move and he could return soon — and forward Michael Bunting didn’t play after being involved in a pregame car accident (coach Mike Sullivan said he was “OK”).

The white-hot Red Wings rolled to their seventh straight win, 6-2 against the Seattle Kraken. Patrick Kane had a goal and assist for Detroit; Kaapo Kakko had an assist for Seattle. For what it’s worth.

The Dallas Stars saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end in a 3-2 loss to the Senators.

What is a PTO? It’s basically a contract that teams can offer unsigned free agents in order to invite them to training camp. This will give the club a closer look at a potential free agent they may want to sign.

The Blueshirts last did this with Micheal Haley back in 2019. After attending camp he played in 5 exhibition games leading to a contract for that season.

Here’s a look aT three possible candidate for a PTO from the Rangers.

NYR PTO candidate: James Neal

The 33 year-old LW is a big boy at 6-3 and 212 lbs. He was bought out by the Edmonton Oilers this summer and has not drawn much interest to date. Last season he had just five goals and five assists (10 points) in 29 games.

Neal was once considered one of the better forwards in the game. During a 7 season stretch from 2012 to 2018 he averaged 27 goals per season. His career totals include 294 goals and 261 assists (555 points) in 850 games played.

It should also be noted that in 2017-18, Neal played for the Vegas Golden Knights team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. Yes, the same team that Gerard Gallant coached. The Rangers may very well consider giving Neal a PTO as some insurance just in case Sammy Blais, Morgan Barron, or Dryden Hunt fail to impress at camp.

Eric Staal, a winning veteran

Last season, the 36 year-old pivot split time between the Sabres and Canadiens but only managed a career low 13 points in 53 games. To make matters worse, he set a career high with a -30 plus/minus rating. Of course, Staal could bring value to a team’s fourth line as his leadership and experience could help a young Rangers team.

The Habs hoped that a change of scenery would reignite his career, but he only managed 3 points in 21 contests. He followed that up with 3 more points in 21 playoff games. Staal being given a PTO is not a terrible idea as his recent run to the Cup could help mentor the young Blueshirts in the locker room along with Barclay Goodrow.

Staal is also a center and having extra depth down the middle never hurts.

Jordie Benn, a little more LD insurance

The Rangers are pretty set on defense after signing Patrik Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi. However; if they wanted a little more insurance that they made the right move in inking Tinordi they could give Jordie Benn a PTO.

At 34 years of age, Benn’s best days are behind him. He could still be valuable as a 7th defenseman. His 6-2, 200 lbs frame allows him to play a physical brand of hockey when called upon. Benn is a defensive rearguard that doesn’t take a lot a penalties.

Ultimately, the Blueshirts are unlikely to offer anyone a PTO. These three candidates are just worthy to consider.

Latest NHL Rumors

Will Aleksander Barkov make it to UFA status? Read more here.

Wild in Minnesota

Bruce Boudreau has been dismissed as the Wild head coach leading to more speculation that an overhaul of the roster is inevitable. The reason for that thinking is because the Wild were making a playoff push and were only three points out of a wildcard spot. It’s basically a signal that management has made a decision to start looking to next season already.

Everyone knows that the two biggest names they have to move are Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin. Both are young blue liners with term that teams like Carolina, Winnipeg, and Toronto are looking for. Still, GM Bill Guerin has plenty of other assets he can move. One such player is Eric Staal who has only one year left on his deal at a reasonable 3.25M AAV. A team like the Islanders would jump at him in a heartbeat.

Waving Goodbye?

There are several aging veterans with No Move Clauses that will be of serious interest if they opt to waive them. The three big names are Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, and Henrik Lundqvist. If any of them do decide they’d like to go to a contender for one final playoff run, it would certainly change the dynamic of the deadline.

We’ve talked about Joe Thornton in our daily NHL rumor mill several times, but Duncan Keith is a new entrant to our daily espousing of trade talk. The 36 year old defenseman still has 3 years left on a deal that comes with a cap hit of $5.5M. If he does decide to waive, the Hawks will need to likely eat half that salary for the remaining term.

Henrik Lundqvist who only has one more year left is the least likely to waive. The 37 year old has not started for the Rangers since February 3rd, in a loss to Dallas where he was pulled. That’s 6 games without a start, and was just passed over in back to backs last night with Alexandar Georgiev starting both. A showcase for the young Bulgarian goalie, or the start of Hank’s long goodbye? We will soon find out.

Canes Ready to Deal

Pierre Lebrun recently reported that Carolina will trade one of their 2 first round picks for either Matt Dumba, Damon Severson, Rasmus Ristolainen, or Brandon Montour.

When the New York Rangers selected Marc Staal with the 12th overall pick in the 2005 draft, there were high hopes and expectations that he would become a cornerstone defenseman for the Blueshirts for many years. And while Staal is still a member of the Rangers preparing for his 13th NHL season on Broadway, injuries, as well as an emphasis on a speed-based game across the league, have taken a toll on “Staalsy.”

Background

Staal was born on January 13, 1987, in Thunder Bay, Ontario where he grew up playing pond hockey with his three brothers, two of which are still playing in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild (Eric Staal) and Carolina Hurricanes (Jordan Staal), respectively. Marc Staal played junior hockey for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL from 2003-2007 as well as suiting up for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships in 2006 and 2007, bringing home gold medals at each tournament. Staal was also named as the top defenseman in the 2006 WJC.

Before making the jump to playing at the NHL in 2007, there were many Ranger fans and hockey analysts across North America that were excited to see the next iteration of a “Staal” brother enter the league. Eric Staal had just established himself as the face of the Carolina Hurricanes by potting 100 points in 2005-2006 and then 28 more points in 25 playoff games as the Canes won the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s history. Jordan Staal had just been drafted second overall by Pittsburgh and was looking to build off his excellent rookie campaign in 2006-2007. Due to the success of two of his brothers, Marc Staal was expected to make an immediate impact once he landed on Broadway.

After making the Rangers out of training camp in 2007, head coach Tom Renney utilized Staal in a defensive role to help the young blueliner acclimate to professional hockey. Staal recorded his first NHL point against the Washington Capitals on November 1, 2007, and scored his first career NHL goal 13 days later after beating Marty Brodeur glove side with a wrist shot from the left circle. Staal suited up for 80 games in 2007-2008, recording a modest ten points but establishing himself as a presence on the Rangers back end, where he still is today.

As the years went by and Staal began to mature and develop, he found himself a spot on the Rangers top defensive pair, as well as being given the ”A” at age 23, while partnering with Michal Rozsival or Dan Girardi. The 6’4”, 213-pound blueliner started to truly flourish in the 2010-2011 campaign as a 200-foot player that was willing to do whatever coach John Tortorella asked of him. However, that 2010-2011 season may have been the beginning of the end for Staal before anybody even realized it. Although Staal recorded a career-high 29 points during his 4th season on Broadway, it was later revealed that Staal suffered a concussion during a mid-season game against the Carolina Hurricanes, by none other than his brother: Eric Staal.

After Marc Staal was forced to miss the first half of the 2011-2012 campaign due to this injury, Ryan McDonagh took the reigns as the Rangers first-pairing LHD. Even after Staal memorably returned for the Rangers pivotal Winter Classic matchup against the Flyers, he struggled to play at the same level on both ends of the rink that he had played at before his unfortunate concussion.

Following a partial-lockout that cost the NHL the first half of the 2012-2013 regular season, Staal was finally back to full health and ready to compete again for the Blueshirts, as the team had acquired Rick Nash in the summer of 2012 in hopes of a Stanley Cup run. Staal recorded 11 points in his first 21 games of the 2013 NHL regular season and was playing some of the best hockey of his career – and then he got injured again. And if you think being concussed by your brother is bad enough, then take a look at this horrific injury. Even the Flyers players on the ice knew this situation was difficult and were calling for medical attention immediately as Staal squirmed around the ice in pain, covering his right eye.

Staal has never been the same player since the severe eye injury he experienced on March 5, 2013. He returned for one playoff game that spring while wearing a special visor, but it was clear that he was still not ready to play.

Staal was part of a successful 2014 Rangers team that made a miraculous and inspirational run to the Stanley Cup Final, as Staal saw second pair minutes with the underrated Anton Stralman. At the time, Rangers management believed that they had the pieces in place to win a Stanley Cup the following season, which coincidentally was the final year of the five-year contract that Staal signed as an RFA in 2010. While the Rangers dominated the 2014-2015 regular season en route to a President’s Trophy, there were many questions about Staal’s future in New York. All of those questions were answered when the Rangers inked Staal to a six-year, $34.2M contract with a full NMC on January 18, 2015.

As the NHL has progressed over the years into teams dominating based on speed, the slow, rugged Staal has seen his game fall off a cliff in recent years. Despite this, the Rangers have remained loyal to Staal and have chosen not to buyout his albatross of a contract even after being given multiple opportunities to do so. Following the buyout of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk this summer, it’s clear that Staal is going to finish out his contract in the Big Apple.

How Staal Helps The Rangers Now

The reason that Marc Staal is still on the Rangers is because of his contract. He is no longer the player he once was on the ice. In fact, he’s very far from it. Staal often fails to keep up with the pace of play in the modern-day NHL and can be viewed as a liability in his own end while providing little to no offense at the other end of the rink.

All of that being said, “Staalsy” is still under contract with the Blueshirts for two more seasons and may help to serve in a mentor-like role for the organization’s younger defensemen such as Adam Fox, Libor Hajek, Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Lindgren, and even Brady Skjei. Staal has been around for some of the best and worst times in New York, from the experience of nearly capturing the Stanley Cup in 2014 to the organization committing to a full-blown rebuild in February of 2018, to every injury or shred of adversity he’s had to overcome throughout his tenured career as a Blueshirt. His 840 career games give him more experience than any other player on the Rangers, not named Henrik Lundqvist, who has played in 857 games for the Blueshirts. Staal may not be able to play the way he once did, and after evaluating his injury history and style of play, it seems somewhat likely that Staal will retire after his current contract expires.

The Rangers are indeed a young team, and the calming presence of an experienced veteran like Staal will benefit the Blueshirts off-ice and locker room dynamic while setting an example of hard work and dedication to the youngsters looking to acclimate to the lifestyle of a professional hockey player.

Eric Staal returns to MSG tonight to face Alain Vigneault and the Rangers. He does so after helping the Wild win their 9th straight by scoring the game winning goal…shorthanded. Staal leads the Wild with 11 goals and 26 points in 32 games, 3 more points than the Rangers leading scorer, Kevin Hayes in 3 less games.

Eric Staal Deadline Acquisition…Failure

“He’s an elite center,” GM, Jeff Gorton said after acquiring him for second-round picks in 2016 and 2017, along with prospect Aleksi Saarela. He also added that, “we’re going to get a lot out of him.”

Well, if 6 points in 20 games was Gorton’s idea of a lot…he was wrong. To make matters worse, Staal posted a -7 with 0 points in the Rangers 5 game elimination to the Penguins. A complete and total bust of a trade by anybody’s standards.

What went wrong? In all honesty, after seeing his performance so far this year, it’s hard not to point to Alain Vigneault’s utilization.

AV Misuse

Right off the bat, as soon as he was acquired I envisioned Eric Staal centering Rick Nash and leading the Rangers to glory. Instead, we got Eric Staal mostly playing 3rd line wing with Kevin Hayes???

During his brief stint here, Staal played 325 minutes in a Blueshirt. He only spent 30:44 with Rick Nash 5 on 5. Matter of fact, he spent the most time with Kevin Hayes (153:47) and Jesper Fast (90:22). While Hayes is playing excellent hockey this year, he struggled mightily last year, and Fast in not a top 6 forward.

P.S. The 3rd highest forward with 77:34 even strength minutes…Viktor Stalberg. See the problem!

In all fairness, AV even admitted to reporters he wasn’t using Eric properly, “I haven’t put him in ideal situations, it’s my fault. I’ve been moving personnel around trying to find the right chemistry with the lines.” Sadly, he never corrected this situation.

Staal’s Parting Shot

On breakup day, Eric Staal pretty much consigned himself to not returning.

Eric Staal believes he can be a productive player for a number of years. Doesn’t have to be The Guy for a team but looking for larger role.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) April 26, 2016

Obviously frustrated with the way Alain Vigneault chose to use him and limit his play, he voiced his opinion. In his short tenure here he averaged just a little over 16 minutes of ice per game. That is almost 4 minutes less than his career average and over 3 minutes less than how the Wild are using him today.

While I believe AV is a great coach that has done a lot of things right…this is certainly one time he got it all wrong.

Today the Rangers cleared out their lockers and Dan Boyle aired out his dirt laundry too. Here’s some takeaways from all the news from NYR Break Up Day.

Dan Finally “Boyle”s Over

 
[su_quote cite=”via Puck Daddy” url=”https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/dan-boyle-profanely-chases-larry-brooks-out-of-interview-153922269.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw”]Before speaking to the media scrum, Boyle said he wanted Brooks to leave the interview area, offering a personal criticism of his work as well.

“I don’t want him here,” said Boyle.

“What?” Brooks said. “You know, the feeling’s mutual, man.”

“Nobody likes you. Nobody respects you. Just so you know,” said Boyle.

“OK,” said Brooks.

“At least I’m leaving here with the respect of my teammates,” said Boyle. “Instead of [expletive] someone like you, who tries to bury somebody. That’s all you do. It’s not a critique. I’m telling you I don’t want you here. I have no respect for you. I want you to get the [expletive] out.”

“I don’t care what you think,” said Brooks.

“I can tell you to get the [expletive] out if I want to!” said Boyle, his voice now raised.

“You can, but I don’t have to listen to you,” said Brooks.

“Yeah, ya do!” said Boyle. “I want him out. And that other [expletive] clown, Brett, or whatever the [expletive] his name is. Where’s he at? Everyone else is fine. I want him out. It’s my right.”

Rangers staff stepped in to calm the scene down, and suggested Boyle not speak to the media at that time.

“Can they not all stay here? I have tons of respect for some of these guys. I just don’t want him here. That should be fine,” said Boyle.

At this point, Brooks hadn’t left yet.

“Can you just [expletive] leave?!” Boyle asked again, loudly.

“If you had asked me politely, I might have,” said Brooks.

Boyle: “POLITELY? Why would I be polite with you? Are you kidding me?”

Brooks then told Boyle to “grow up,” Boyle laughed that off and Brooks walked off to another interview.[/su_quote]

Eric Staal Took a Veiled Shot at Vigneault?

Eric Staal believes he can be a productive player for a number of years. Doesn’t have to be The Guy for a team but looking for larger role.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) April 26, 2016

I was surprised that Eric didn’t reveal a shoulder injury that it looked like he was favoring after a hit late in the regular season. He didn’t rule out coming back but he didn’t rule out going elsewhere. However, he did dwell at length about his role here in NY and that seems like a criticism of how AV utilized him.

I don’t think Eric Staal will return.

Girardi Played Game 1 with Lingering Effects of a Concussion

Dan Girardi says he missed games late in season due to a concussion. Was cleared and played early playoffs but regressed and so sat out

— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) April 26, 2016

We all knew it and it was obvious when he went into a fog on what he thought was an offside that resulted in a goal at the end of the first period in game 1. He also believes he can get back to 100% and looks determined to do that next season….for the Rangers.

50/50 he’s here next year.

P.S. Ryan McDonagh confirmed he broke his finger and played in pain.

Rangers On Potential Changes

AV: “There are definitely going to be some changes as an organization.” Says every player will be re-evaluated.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) April 26, 2016

AV says he cannot say at this time whether all his assistant coaches will be back next season.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) April 26, 2016

AV believes Kevin Hayes is a part of NYR’s future. “He’s been given the guidelines, given the direction, now it’s up to him to do it.”

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) April 26, 2016

Yandle repeatedly said NYR is an “amazing” org. Would love to be back. Doesn’t know how it will go.

— Rangers Report (@rangersreport) April 26, 2016

Henrik Lundqvist also cautions against “overreaction” when analyzing this team. Strongly believes in teammates.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) April 26, 2016

McDonagh: You can probably expect a few changes. Will be interesting to see what happens. #NYR

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) April 26, 2016

There is a lot to digest here, but it should start with Keith Yandle who also admitted he was excited to see what the UFA market brings. To me that signals he likely will be priced away from the Rangers.

I expect Ulf Samuelsson to be interviewed for some head coaching jobs and opening the door for Jeff Beukeboom to possibly join the staff. Oh, and it doesn’t look like AV is going anywhere…for now.

As for Hank’s comments, I think he doesn’t want them to blow up the team because he wants another Cup shot. Reality is that this group can’t get it done and the cap dictates some serious moves need to be made just to have a real chance anyway.

Let’s face it, aside from the “excitement” over the Boyle and Brooks exchange, did we really learn anything? No, the real information will come as we near the draft and we see the real direction the Rangers take.

Here we go! The Rangers took to the ice again and appear eager to get the playoffs going. You have to ask yourself, after a trip to the Final in 2014, a monstrous Presidents’ Trophy finish and ECF exit in 2015, were the Rangers just going through the motions this year?

I’m not trying to make light of the defensive lapses we saw almost all year from this team, but after getting so close twice, maybe they just wanted to get back at it. The only way to know if I’m right will be how they play in game 1 tomorrow night.

McDonagh Might Play In Round 1?

While there is no definitive as to the extent of his hand injury, he practiced today with gloves on and was able to hold his stick with both hands. Alain Vigneault played it coy by saying “There’s a chance he might be able to play at some point”.

Doing his skating drills is #NYR captain @RMcDonagh27 pic.twitter.com/czR9KzR8K4

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 12, 2016

Henrik Ready to Roar!

It’s never boring in Rangerstown as yesterday, Henrik Lundqvist left practice twice due to illness. Today he told reporters, he will be ready.

[su_quote cite=”Henrik Lundqvist via Blueshirts United” url=”https://www.blueshirtsunited.com/article/healthy-henrik-looking-enjoy-moment?cmpid=nyr-soc-tw”]”Every time you don’t feel 100 percent you don’t know exactly when you’ll feel right again, but today was a good step, a good practice for me,” explained Lundqvist. “I’m confident that tomorrow with another skate I’ll be ready.”
[/su_quote]

Shutting Down Crosby

It looks like (and let the fancy stats bloggers begin to panic) that Dan Girardi and Marc Staal will be paired to stop Sidney Crosby. While, there is certainly a reason to be concerned with the way their regular seasons went, both Girardi and Staal are battle tested warriors and could just shut a few mouths or more this post season.

Eric Staal Will Be the Rangers Secret Weapon

It’s been 6 long years since Eric has tasted post season action and something tells me he is going to give the Penguins fits. While I believe Rick Nash is the key to a Cup and needs to show up immediately, I believe that it will be Eric Staal that does in the Penguins in round 1.

1st Round Predictions

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Capitals over the Flyers in 6

Rangers over Penguins in 6

Panthers over the Islanders in 5

Lightning over Red Wings in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Stars over Wild in 7

Blackhawks over Blues in 7

Ducks over Predators in 4

Sharks over Kings in 6

The Rangers bounced back from an awful road trip against Florida, where they were lucky to get 3 points in the 3 games they played out West. By beating the Panthers at MSG last night, they improved their home record to 24-8-3. They hold the 2nd best home winning percentage in the NHL (Washington 1st) which is a stark contrast to their 17-16-5 road record.

Their Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde play at home and on the road is another story. Today after practice head coach, Alain Vigneault admitted to not utilizing skilled center, Eric Staal properly.

[su_quote cite=”Larry Brooks, NYPOST” url=”https://nypost.com/2016/03/22/rangers-coach-knows-why-eric-staals-been-invisible-blame-me/”]“I haven’t put him in ideal situations — it’s my fault,” said the coach, whose team faces the Bruins at the Garden on Wednesday. “I’ve been moving personnel around trying to find the right chemistry with the lines.”[/su_quote]

EUREKA! A breakthrough? I hope so.

Eric Staal was acquired near the trade deadline as the offensive piece the Rangers hoped would get them over the hump to the Cup this Spring. He first played with Oscar Lindberg and Viktor Stalberg, neither of which are considered offensively gifted players.

Fine.

Rick Nash was hurt at the time and he didn’t want to disrupt the other two lines. When Rick Nash returned from injury, he was immediately placed on Staal’s right. That lasted less than 2 games! Just like I had predicted, at the first sign of adversity he would move Nash back to either Derek Stepan or Derick Brassard‘s side.

From there, Eric Staal saw a rotation of forwards and that may continue tomorrow against Boston as well. Today at practice, Chris Kreider was on line with Staal. After playing with J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes a few games, why not? Now, Nash was given a maintenance day and held out of practice, but I’m holding out hope that a monster sized line is put together.

Can you imagine the fits a line of Kreider (6’3″), Staal (6’4″) and Nash (6’4″) could cause defenses? I know I’d at least like to see it. Maybe then AV can properly set Eric Staal’s offensive abilities loose.

Let’s face it, 1 goal and 3 points in 11 games is not what anyone expected when the Rangers acquired Eric Staal. We also didn’t expect that Stalberg would’ve played 71 minutes to Nash’s 25 in his brief stint with the Rangers either.

Rick Nash and Eric Staal are hopefully set to make sweet music in Detroit today. Since the day the Rangers acquired Eric Staal, I have been screaming from the mountain tops that he should be on a line with Nash.

I have likened Staal’s first 5 games paired with Viktor Stalberg and Oscar Lindberg like watching a Corvette doing 30MPH in the left lane on the highway (among other things). This isn’t a knock on the two serviceable wingers, but they are not on the same skill level as former 100 point center, E. Staal.

Playing Eric Staal with Lindberg and Stalberg is like hooking up a VCR and an Atari 2600 game system to a 60″ HD LASER TV.

— FullTilt Rangers (@NYR_FullTilt) March 9, 2016

When #61 returned to full practice yesterday I fretted as to what Alain Vigneault might do with the lineup. Then he said it! “It’s something that I’d like to see,” Vigneault spoke to joining his two stars on one line. The intent is to make it more difficult to check the Rangers, especially if these two offensive stars click. This would free up the dynamic duo of Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello from other team’s top checkers.

A third line centered by Derek Stepan, who is the Rangers most lethal two-way forward would give AV a deep and dynamic look. This is to me the best lineup setup AV can put out there on a nightly basis.

As for Staal and Nash, well these two appear to be chomping a the bit.

[su_quote cite=”NY POST” url=”https://nypost.com/2016/03/11/rick-nash-eric-staal-combo-has-been-brewing-for-a-long-time/”]“I find me and Eric to be pretty similar players, and I remember playing with him way back in the day,” Nash said. “Anytime you get someone of his caliber, all the things that he’s achieved in his career, it’s definitely exciting to get a player like that. But I think we have to be one of the deepest teams at center. There were some great centermen here already.”[/su_quote]

These two have played together before starting as teenagers for Team Canada and later on All-Star teams. Eric Staal is really looking forward to what they can rekindle together.

[su_quote cite=”Newsday” url=”https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/henrik-lundqvist-rick-nash-marc-staal-set-to-return-for-rangers-1.11564800″]“I’ve played against big, strong guys and they’re hard to play against,” Staal said. “So we’ve got to be like that, hard to play against every shift, hang on to the puck in the offensive zone and hopefully cash in when the opportunity arises.”[/su_quote]

Now the fear for me is simple – will AV at the first sign of trouble immediately revert to his old combinations and break up what should be a top notch first line featuring Eric Staal and Rick Nash? I hope not, but you can easily see AV putting Nash back with Stepan at the first sign of adversity.

For now, I will revel in the fact that the Rangers best possible 1-2 punch are together. I’ll leave you with a glimpse of the friendship Nash and Staal have from the 2011 All-Star Draft.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV0uBcAqNuU”]

The Rangers lost a horrible game to the Islanders on Sunday night and stole two points against an underwhelming Buffalo Sabres team on Tuesday night. Fortunately, the Rangers will benefit from a nice four day break before their next game: Saturday at Detroit.

As lots of the talk has been, the Rangers have caught the injury bug with Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist being sidelined with spasm injuries: back and neck, respectively. Those two joined Rick Nash on the inactive list. Nash, who suffered a deep bone bruise hasn’t played since leaving the Rangers game at Carolina on January 22. The good news is that all three could potentially return to the ice at Detroit, but most indications are that Nash will make his return on the Rangers’ California trip next week.

While the Rangers have a very respectable record in Nash’s absence, his return will not only help the Rangers on the offensive front, but on the Penalty Kill as well. Make no mistake about it, Nash is the Rangers’ best two-way forward. His return will also make Alain Vigneault give some thought as to how his top-9 should look like. This brings me to my biggest concern, something which has been talked about at great length since Sunday’s loss to the Islanders. AV has shown that logic isn’t really logic when it comes to his lineup decisions.

Newly acquired Eric Staal has been relegated to third line duties being flanked by Oscar Lindberg and Viktor Stalberg. While they were by far the Rangers’ best line vs. the Islanders, they have done little else in their 5 games together. Staal should be centering Nash when he returns. This should give AV more options for forwards and cause opposing defenses all kinds of trouble. However, the real concern lies in who comes out of the lineup. Assuming Nash returns and every current forward is healthy, that puts the Rangers at 13 forwards. Now, I know that Tanner Glass has been better this season, but he’s the 13th best forward on the Rangers. But, as we’ve seen over the last two seasons, AV has played favorites with Glass and routinely sits players like Kevin Hayes, Oscar Lindberg and J.T. Miller so that Glass stays in his spot.

It’s now March, not October. There’s no more time to play games. The standings are too tight and the stakes are too high to not put your 12 best forwards on the ice on a nightly basis.

Now to the backbone of this Rangers squad – Henrik Lundqvist. While Raanta has done a nice job holding down the fort over the last week, having Lundqvist back is a always good thing. He’ll need some time to get back up to speed, but hopefully that shouldn’t take too long. I assume he’ll play two games on the California trip; maybe one if he gets both starts over the weekend (@DET, vs. PIT)