The LA Kings and New York Rangers are playing a Stanley Cup rematch on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in NY and the Blueshirts come in playing better than anyone in the NHL with Cam Talbot in net over the injured Henrik Lundqvist and the matchup starts at 7 pm ET as Rick Nash tries to lead NYR to another win.
The Rangers come into the game after a huge win against the Ducks and that was a great performance, as they had not been scoring much and ended up getting 7 goals in the victory. The team will next play on the road after this home stretch against the Senators and the Rangers come in with an 8-1-1 record over the last 10 games and a +54 goal differential on the season.
The Rangers have been as consistent as any team this season, ranking third in the league in goals per game and goals against per game. The power play has not been consistent, but Alain Vigneault is working on it and the team hopes it picks up as the playoffs get closer.
The Rangers have been fantastic in the second half of the season and for a time they were the top team in all of the NHL. The Rangers are currently tied coming into the game with the Canadiens for the top spot in the east and they are currently leading the Metro division. The Islanders and Penguins are seven and nine points back in the standings and the Rangers have gotten things done without arguably their best player healthy.
Henrik Lundqvist has been out since before the trading deadline with an injury and while he is on his way back and cleared to practice, it has been the Cam show for the Rangers. The team has been fantastic with Talbot in net and Talbot has made the team forget that Lundqvist hasn't been healthy. Lundqvist will be back in net once he is ready, but it is very reassuring to know that the team can survive without him and his missing time could be huge down the stretch.
Lundqvist was work down by the end of last season and with over a month off, Lundqvist could be refreshed and ready for another deep run. The Rangers surprised everyone last season with a win run to the finals and they could repeat as east champs with how things are shaping up. The Lighting, Canadiens and the Rangers are the three top teams in the east and there is intrigue mixed in all of that.
The Rangers won over the Canadiens last season in the east finals and they also pulled off a trade with their captain Ryan Callahan for Martin St. Louis with the Lighting. Matching up with either of those teams would be very dramatic and the Rangers are hoping for another Stanley Cup appearance after getting beaten soundly by the Kings.
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