N.Y. Rangers: Blueshirts Going Without Rick Nash Versus Habs

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

TONIGHT

 

Montreal Canadiens

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

33rd Street and 8th Avenue

NYC

 

 

Sunday Final

Capitals   1

Rangers   2

 

NEW YORK RANGERS - Hello Pruster!  Good To See You.

RICK NASH TO MISS TONIGHT'S GAME

Darroll Powe is going to miss time with a concussion.  He left the ice in the second period of Sunday's game after coming together with Washington's Matt Hendricks, then hitting his head on the ice.  He found favor with Coach Torts since being acquired from Minnesota in the Mike Rupp deal.  Rick Nash is also scratched from tonight's game against the Canadiens.  He played Sunday against Washington after missing practice, but apparently still has a lingering issue.  The club has made no comment.


The Rangers will now be relying on recently recalled Chris Kreider and Brandon Mashinter to fill in.  Brandon Mashinter was acquired from the Sharks last month and offers the Rangers size on the wing.  And Lord Stanley knows the Rangers need it.  A reminder of that will be in the building tonight.  Hello Brandon Prust!!  It will be good to see him again.  This is Brandon's first game back at Madison Square Garden since accepting Montreal's offer in the off-season.  Brandon led the Rangers in fighting majors last season.  The physicallity he brought to the ice is clearly lacking in the Rangers game this season.


Carl Hagelin continues to be the Rangers top forward.  He now has five goals in his last four games. Derek Stepan's goal came on a power play.  It was the Rangers sixth power play goal of the season. Henrik Lundqvist was sharp Sunday against Alexi Ovechkin and the Capitals.  He faced twenty eight shots, stopping all but one.  The Rangers on the other hand, unleashed forty shots on goal against Braden Holtby, but only came away with two goals.


The Rangers enter tonight's game against the Northeast Division leading Montreal Canadiens with a record of 7-1-2 in their last ten games.  They scored twenty eight goals over that time for an average of 2.8 per game.  With Sunday's win, the Rangers broke a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers for third place of the Atlantic Division.  The Rangers now have seventeen points this season, only five games back of the New Jersey Devils.




Mike.BTB