The New York Rangers expect a full lineup in their next game on Thursday at Montreal now that K’Andre Miller’s suspension is over, and an emergency call-up would be granted should Tyler Motte be unable to play.
The chess match is over for the New York Rangers, and the team should have a full lineup of 12 forwards, six defensemen, and two goalies when they play the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night in Montreal.
The decision to go after Patrick Kane before the trade deadline put the Blueshirts in the salary cap penalty box as they looked for ways to save room daily. The team was forced to dress players but not play them such was the case in a game on Feb.25.
An injury to Ryan Lindgren and the unsportsmanlike conduct and three-game suspension created a scenario where the team was forced to play with only 18 skaters.
An upper-body injury to forward Tyler Motte last week was the breaking point for the club, but they managed to survive and get to today, where the team is coming off a much-needed two-day break and will practice for the est two days.
They have a busy schedule that has the squad traveling to Montreal for a contest on Thursday, visiting Buffalo on Saturday, and concluding the three-game road trip with a stop in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Emergency Call Up
The team will be allowed to make an emergency call-up should Motte be unable to play on Thursday night. The Blueshirts can recall a player to the team from the AHL whose salary does not exceed $850,000.
Jonny Brodzinski was recalled by the team today.
The playoff push is underway with the team sitting in third place in the division, 7 points ahead of the New York Islanders who are in the first wild card position.
This Rangers team has struggled recently. They have lost six of their past eight games and are 1-2-1 in their last contests.
Igor Shesterkin should play in two of the three upcoming road games as he looks to find the game that won him the Vezina Trophy last season. He has a 6-3-1 record in his last 10 games with a .874 save percentage allowing 34 goals.
His last five games have seen a drop in his game, where he is 2-3 with a .862 save percentage allowing 17 goals.
With the trade deadline chaos over, Chris Drury can now watch ad hope the moves he made can lead the team back to the Easter Conference Finals with an eye on a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
19 games remain on the Ranger’s schedule. That’s more than enough time for new players to get acquainted with their new team and for the coaching staff to work out some line combinations that will consistently work well together.