Rangers Face Utah After Winter Classic Win

The New York Rangers, after two days off following their Winter Classic victory, return to action tonight at MSG. No truth to the rumor that James Dolan is considering removing the roof at MSG, as New York is 6-0 in Outdoor Games, but maybe a backdrop of the open sky is in order. The Blueshirts, who face the Mammoth tonight, are 5-10-3 at home but 12-8-2 on the road.  

Rangers practice lines Sunday:

Panarin – Zibanejad – Cuylle
Perreault – Trocheck – Lafrenière
Brodzinski – Dowling – Raddysh
Blidh – Carrick – Rempe

Gavrikov – Fox
Soucy – Borgen
Vaakanainen – Schneider

Shesterkin
Quick

Scratches: Laba (upper-body injury), Berard, Robertson
IR: Miller (upper-body injury)
LTIR: Edström (lower-body injury), Sheary (lower-body injury)

Play one game and then sit. Brett Berard, who dressed for the Winter Classic, will be in the press box, replaced by Anton Blidh. Not sure what drove the decision as Berard didn’t see major minutes Friday and Blidh is unlikely to do the same Monday. Blidh, promoted due to the various absences, is more of a veteran than Berard, so maybe that drove the change. Noah Laba skated Monday and JT Miller is inching closer, which means Berard or Blidh will likely head down when one returns and the other when New York is fully healthy, unless Juston Dowling is demoted.

Sitting as well will be Matthew Robertson, who led the Rangers in minutes played in the Winter Classic at 21:50. Not that Robertson was elite, but he certainly was solid enough, so swapping him for Urho Vaakanainen doesn’t seem to make much sense. Vaakanainen has not been great and has not necessarily earned another shot to play, but he will be on the third pair tonight.

The win over Florida was nice and came with most of the eyeballs of the league etc. on the contest. But unless that victory is followed up with another strong effort and win tonight, Friday’s event does not mean much. The key is to build off that win and not make it a standalone event. Use it as a springboard to success. If not, all it becomes is a note for the media guide and NHL as to Outdoor Games record.