The Rangers appeared to right the ship on Friday night with a big third period en route to a 4-2 win over the Hurricanes. Today it’s a much tougher opponent in Detroit, who is currently in a playoff battle of their own. The Rangers are in direct competition with the Wings, as they will need to finish ahead of them in points in order to claim a wild card spot (if they fail to finish in the top three in the Metro). This is another four-point swing game against a potential playoff suitor.
Mike Babcock has his boys playing a 2-1-2 forecheck, but mix in a LW lock depending on game situation. In their own zone, Detroit plays a straight up zone defense. On the PP, the Wings employ an umbrella and a 1-3-1 formation, but will use Zetterberg as a rover. Keep an eye on him. He’s all over the zone. On the penalty kill they change up their strategy depending on the opposition’s setup.
Rangers Lineup:
Chris Kreider–Derek Stepan–Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin–Brad Richards–Martin St. Louis
Benoit Pouliot–Derick Brassard–Mats Zuccarello
Dominic Moore–Brian Boyle-Dan Carcillo
Ryan McDonagh–Dan Girardi
Marc Staal–Kevin Klein
John Moore–Anton Stralman
Henrik Lundqvist gets the start
Scratches/Injuries: Derek Dorsett (healthy), Justin Falk (healthy), Raphael Diaz (healthy)
Game time is 12:30pm on NBC. Don’t forget to check out our Rangers Tickets link for deals to attend games.
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