NY Rangers (20-20-3) vs Utah TBD (18-18-7)
• 16 Jan 2025 21:00 EST
• Delta Arena, SLC Utah
• TV: MSG, Utah16 •
The Rangers have traveled from the mountains of Colorado to the Wasatch range to take on the Utah Hockey Team Not Yet Named, formerly of Arizona. This is a billed as “The battle of 500” as one team will no longer have a .500 P% after tonight! Not only do they share a .500 P%, they are both -10 in GF/GA differential (124/134 NYR, 120/130 UTAH). Unlike the Rangers, who are also 500 whether home or away, Utah is a better team on the road. So perhaps tonight the NYR can add two points to the bank rather than just one and crank up that playoff run.
Utah has had a tough stretch of games, 2-7-1 in their last 10, though against fairly good competition. The Rangers have generally been playing better, at least in the sense of team defense, going 4-4-2 with three games decided in OT. Utah specialty units are just above the NHL mid-point and they are 12th in FO% at 51.3% to the NYR 53.7% (2nd)
Line-up wise: Both teams are expected to ice the same line-ups used in their most recent games (both lost) – Shesterkin in net for NYR, Vejmelka (2.48 GAA, 0.912 SV%) for Utah.
Your fine NHL officials tonight are Trevor Hanson (710 GP), no relation to Dave, Steve or Jeff, eh, and Chris Schlenker (437 GP). Both these zebras like to put their arms up and use that whistle because golly, that’s why Gary gave it to them. Hanson especially has a thing for flagging the visitors.
Keys to a Ranger victory today: Eström, Carrick and Rempe must all score a goal.
On this date in history: In 1936, Bert Connelly scored the first penalty shot in NYR history, the game winning goal in a match against Toronto.
Speculative NYR lineup
Forwards
1st line ⊳ Panarin ⋄ Trocheck ⋄ Lafrenière
2nd line ⊳ Cuylle ⋄ Zibanejad ⋄ Smith
3rd line ⊳ Kreider ⋄ Chytil ⋄ Kaliyev
4th line ⊳ Edström ⋄ Carrick ⋄ Rempe
Defensemen
1st pair ⊳ Lindgren ⋄ Fox
2nd pair ⊳ Miller ⋄ Borgen
3rd pair ⊳ Vaakanainen ⋄ Schneider
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Quick
Healthy scratch: D Jones F Vesey F Brodzinski
Injured: none
In the Cooler: none
Long-term IR: none
251 responses to “It’s Go Time!”
Selfish Shesty could have fired to a forward to seal the deal but no…
blatant pick
Sn tthey would just have turned it over
I told you they hadn’t played a good period yet.
great play by Carrick
That’s the way you do it
you play your guitars on your MTV
12 out of the last 16. It’s a start…
Me likey
Only two players were minus this game. Bet you can’t guess who without looking it up.
Good teams find a way….
They’re not a good team. At least they found a way 🤷♂️
Hug it out bi….
Poor Will Cuylle having to play with Meeka-boo
Lafrenière would’ve been the one traded if they put him with Zika and Kakko with Trocheck.
Somehow they’re 5-1-2 to start the new year.
We seem to do better when we suck at face offs
The third was their best for a change. I didn’t see that coming.
We leapt the penguins. We also have 2 games in hand on them.
Panarin got the 3rd star, probably because he got the empty netter. Carrick should’ve been third star
JT Miller looks like he just got benched mid game
Shesterkin is unbeaten in regulation in 2025
On this team you’d never know Carrick has just been some random role player who never played a full season before. Says something about this team.
They have demonstrated this year that FO% is overrated. It’s the only area they have improved in and it hasn’t made them better.
I want Carrick on at the end of the game. I trust him to make the right play.
Really impressed with how #93 demonstrated his value; first winning a key Ozone faceoff leading to Kreider’s GWG and then making a key defensive play during 5v6 at end of game getting puck out of zone and then feeding Bread for an easy ENG.
Whut? that was #39; Mr Wonderful; Sam the Man I am Carrick making $1M per, not DJ Bananastand Meeka-boo making $8.5M???
The DJ was a wreck last night …toe picked on powerplay and fell on his face
Carrick seems like a Dom Moore kind of player. A veteran guy who is cool under pressure and makes the right play. He is a little more physical than Dom was which adds a little much needed grit to this group. Good pickup by Drury.
*NEW POSTAGE*