Yes, the young defenseman served the final game of his suspension yesterday and will be back in the lineup when the Blueshirts face the Montreal Canadiens Thursday on the road.

Note: Corrected article to reflect Rangers at Montreal Canadiens.

K’Andre Miller suspension over

Miller, 23, has six goals and 30 points in 60 games this season. It will be good to have him back in the lineup with Ryan Lindgren still listed as day-to-day with a shoulder injury.

This will now give the Rangers six healthy defenseman for their next game, which will be the first time they’ve had a full complement on the blue-line since the match against the Kings, when Miller accidentally spit on Drew Doughty.

“I have all the respect in the world for Drew Doughty and what happened was completely accidental,” Miller wrote on Twitter. “I would never intend to do something like that on purpose, it goes against everything I am as a person a player. I felt awful about it and I am thankful Drew gave me the opportunity to apologize and explain myself in person after the game.”

It should be noted that the Rangers actually dressed six defenseman against the Kings but only played five in order to safely place Braden Schneider on waivers afterwards. That was done in order to accrue cap space to trade for Patrick Kane.

Rangers finally get practice time

The Rangers need a break! They’ve done what they had to do bringing in a proven winner in Patrick Kane. By making sure to fit him in under the cap, they’ve been basically playing with 11 forwards and 5 defenseman for the last four games.

It’s been a whirlwind of emotions and excitement, even though it hasn’t translated into results on the ice. Since Kane joined the team, it’s obvious that Artemi Panarin has been laser focused on getting his old friend his first point with the Blueshirts and it’s led to turnovers and goals against.

“They’re trying to force the plays in the middle of the ice,” Gerard Gallant said on Sunday. “There’s too many turnovers. There’s chemistry there but you have to make strong plays. Too many times trying for that east to west pass in the offensive zone. They’ll get it together but it wasn’t good tonight.”

The first power play unit has also been out of sync and a downright detriment to the team as well with the Bruins scoring shorthanded on Sunday.

“It needs a lot of time to jell,” Gallant noted. “There’s a couple of guys in different positions and setups so we’ll work with it. We’ve got some time this week (to practice) and decide what we’re going to do.”

The Rangers are actually off today and Monday before getting in two full practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. That should give them time to work on the PP and line chemistry before playing the Habs on Thursday.

New York may finally be able to make an emergency call up for their game to replace injured forward Tyler Motte. The player recalled must be under $850,000 which makes Ryan Carpenter ($750K) the most likely candidate. Will Cuylle ($828K) is also a possibility, as is Jonny Brodzinski ($762K) and Jake Leschyshyn ($766K).

Esa Tikkanen charged with Tax Evasion

Former New York Rangers forward and 1994 Stanley Cup champion Esa Tikkanen appears to be in some hot water back home in Finland.

According to Ilta Sanomat, he’s been charged with tax evasion from 2015-2019.

“I have not committed any offense, it is a matter of disagreement with the tax authorities,” Tikkanen said.

Tikkanen recently had 168,000 euros of property seized by Finnish authorities, but that was overturned, per the report. 

NY Post

Tikkanen, 58, played 877 regular-season games in the NHL amassing 630 points and winning five Cups. He had three stints with the Rangers (1992/93-93/94, 1996/97, 1998/99) collecting 67 points in 144 games and helping end a 54 year championship drought.

Starting in goal number 31 Antti Raanta

Talk about a constant state of happiness, Raanta was not seen by my eyes sans a smile. His tenure as Henrik Lundqvist’s understudy may have been a brief one, but Raanta earned well-deserved accolades for his impeccable work manning the crease any time “The King” needed a respite. Raanta complied an impressive 27-14-4 record with five shutouts in his 53 career games in his two seasons as a Ranger goalie.

On defense, number 29 Reijo Ruotsalainen

If we were going to do an “All-Nickname Team” for the Rangers, “Plexi Rexi” would assuredly make that squad as well. Current Ranger President and former teammate John Davidson says the native of Oulu, Finland earned that whimsical moniker for the multitude of times his slap shot caromed off the Plexiglass behind the opposing goalie. On a serious note, Ruotsalainen was an outstanding offensive defenseman during his five year stint on Broadway accumulating 316 points in 389 games including a 73 point effort in the 1984-85 season.

His defense partner number 5, Jari Grondstrand

A member of the Blueshirts for just one season, the talented native of Tampere, Finland was a key defender of the Ranger team that missed the 1988 playoffs by the most narrowest of margins. on the season’s final day. John MacLean, anyone?

On left wing number 10 Esa Tikkanen

One of the more beloved Finns and members of the 1994 Stanley Cup championship squad, the abrasive, antagonistic, but inherently likable Tikkanen is sure to bring a thunderous ovation whenever #10 returns to the World’s Most Famous Arena. “Tikk”, a Blueshirt on three separate occasions, including the Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997, was the epitome of clutch. The higher levels of pressure, the rising rate of intensity, the better Tikkanen performed. The native of Finland’s capital, Helsinki, gets the red carpet treatment from the Garden Faithful whenever he graces us with his presence

At center number 9 Pentti Lund

A Blueshirt for three seasons during the Original Six era, the native of Karijoki, Finland and 1949 Rookie of the Year recipient was a key member of the 1950 Ranger squad that darn near shocked the hockey world by taking the mighty Detroit Red Wings to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

On right wing number 24 Kaapo Kakko

The second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, the native of Turku, Finland showed flashes of brilliance during his abbreviated rookie campaign. While some unfairly expected Kakko to resemble Teemu Selanne as an 18-year old. #24’s future is as unlimited a ray of sunshine. Kakko’s rare combination of size, skill and offensive prowess has the Garden Faithful salivating over what could be once the talented Finn matures, fills out and realizes his vast potential.

Honorable mention: Mikko Leinonen, Jari Kurri, Lauri Korpikoski, Jussi Markkanen, Ville Nieminen.

Kravtsov and Lundkvist

Vitali Kravtsov and Nils Lundkvist showing some skills off today.

Esa Tikkanen

Watch the Pack on FB

Kaapo Kakko is lighting it up at the World Championship and a fellow Finn and former New York Ranger Esa Tikkanen spoke with Glen Sather about the kid just last month.

According to Finnish outlet MTV, Sather asked Tikkanen about the kid and he gave him the green light. The translation is rough but it goes along these lines.

“I was in New York a month ago with Sather himself, and he asked about Kaapo. Then he asked, “is it okay to take him”. And I said, of course,” Tikkanen reveals MTV Sports.

Tikkanen also said that according to what he’s heard, Jack Hughes will go number 1 and the Rangers will take Kakko. He said that he is 99% confident that he will be a Blueshirt.

Rangers tähdet hävinny kuvasta pahasti ja Nashia ei näy ollenkaa. Varovaista kiekkoa ja Caps puolustaa hemmetin tarkasti. Tää on playoffia.

— Esa Tiki Tikkanen (@tikitalk10) May 5, 2015

Here’s the rough translation from Google (edited):

“Rangers stars have disappeared badly and Nash will not appear. Cautious play and Caps defense are damn accurate. It’s the playoffs”

If any of our readers can provide a better translation please post them in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @NYR_FullTilt

However, one Twitter follower simply asked Tikkanen to translate and got this response.

@StrayaNYsports Rangers best players need to be better

— Esa Tiki Tikkanen (@tikitalk10) May 5, 2015

So there you go, the Rangers are being called out to step up from a man who knows how to boil player’s blood. Now, let’s see if it works.