In recent days, the best defensive mating of the New York Rangers has completely changed due to an injury and a trade.
Still within striking distance in a crowded East Conference race for one of two wild card sites, Rangers will play their first game since the trading Ryan Lindgren when they host Nashville Predators on Sunday evening.
Rangers is facing a four-point deficit behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second Wild-Card place with 23 matches to play. New York also tracks three other teams in a race where six teams are five points or less.
New York sat down during the playoffs with a 4-15-0 distance from November 21-Dec. 30 which contained several inclined losses. Rangers used a 7-0-3 distance from January 5-23 but is an intermediate 5-6-0 ago.
On Friday, Rangers played their first match since lost Adam Fox to an upper body injury after the offensive defender fell on the shoulder in a 5-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Rangers Parade Lindgren with Braden Schneider on Friday in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. New York allowed a power-play-goal less than two minutes into the competition, since Mika Zibanejad and Will Cualle scored binding goals in one night when Rangers held a 35-17 edge in shot on goal and went 0-for-3 on Power Play.
“This one sticks,” said Zibanejad. “In the other games I don’t really care if we have 15 shots as long as we win.”
Less than 24 hours later, Rangers traded unlimited free agents Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to Colorado Avalanche for veteran defender Calvin de Haan and Center Juuso Parin together with two drafts of elections.
Rangers will also be without Chris Kreider for the fourth straight game, and he is expected to go on damaged reserve with an upper body injury that may be related to a previous back problem.
Nashville is well out of the playoffs in the Western Conference and traded Gustav Nyquist to Minnesota Wild on Saturday and also lost 7-4 to the islands.
The predators lost for the third time in four matches and dropped to 3-9-0 in the last 12 matches since he put together a five-match winning line from January 14-23. Nashville has allowed at least five goals five times during his last picture and gave up seven for the third time this season.
Nashville allowed three goals during the first period on Saturday, when it was surpassed 19-3.
“We just didn’t start in time,” said the Predators coach Andrew Brunette. “Too much during the first period. We dug in and played better in the second and third, and we had a handful of guys who played really well, and the rest of the guys were passengers. It’s a hard league to win in when it goes that way.”
Cole Smith did twice, and Marc Del Gaizo scored his first career goal, but Steven Stamkos was on the ice for three even strength goals and saw his points drought reaching 12 matches.
-Field level media
