New York Rangers Weekend Preview vs Predators and Sharks

After a come from behind win against the Red Wings, the Rangers will play a back-to-back on the weekend against two western conference teams.

Rangers	Rankings of 12/1/23
15-4-1	Record
1st	League Rank
15th	Goals For
3rd	Goals Against
3rd	Power play
7th	Penalty Kill

Stats are from Friday night prior to the start of the games around the league

Game 1: Nashville on Saturday at 4:30PM

The first game the Rangers will play in Nashville on Saturday afternoon. New York lost the first meeting between the two sides by the score of 4-1. The Rangers at this point fell 2-2-0. Following this defeat, the Blueshirts went on an eleven game point streak.

Filip Chytil will miss both weekend games and Kaapo Kakko remains out of the lineup long-term.

For Nashville, forwards Cody Glass and Tommy Novak won’t be available. Glass is currently week-to-week while Novak is in the middle of a four-to-six week recovery. Defender Alex Carrier suffered a hit from Kirill Karpizov and is also listed as week-to-week.

Jonathan Quick was the first goalie off the ice at practice on Friday which means he will likely play in Nashville. Quick is 6-0-1 with a .930 save percentage.

The Predators also play a back-to-back situation. As of Friday night, there is no clear indication if Juuse Saros or Kevin Lankinen will get the start. Saros currently holds a record of 8-10-0 with an .895 save percentage.

Filip Forsberg leads the Predators in points with 27.

Game 2: San Jose on Sunday at 6:00PM

San Jose enters the game tied for the fewest points in the league. The Sharks hold a record of 6-16-2 and 1-10-0 on the road. Their lone road win came on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. The Sharks recently welcomed the return of Tomas Hertl to the lineup after being day-to-day, but they still have injuries to many key players including captain Logan Couture. Couture has yet to play a game for the Sharks this season as he is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Other key injured players include Filip Zadina, Alex Barabanov, Oskar Lindblom, and Jan Ruuta.

Igor Shesterkin will likely get the start on Sunday as he looks to string together two wins in a row. Shesterkin made 25 saves in a winning effort against Detroit. The Russian netminder is 4-0-1 all time against the Sharks.

For San Jose, expect MacKenzie Blackwood to get the nod. Blackwood made 34 saves in a 3-0 losing effort in Boston on Thursday night. The 26-year-old holds a 3-10-2 record with a .903 save percentage this season.

Hertl currently leads the Sharks in points with 16.

What to watch for

This weekend, let’s keep a close eye on Adam Fox. Fox returned from injury against Detroit, but he was kept quiet and largely unnoticeable. Look for Fox to make a greater impact on both sides of the ice this weekend. Fox suffered a lower-body injury and missed ten games prior to his return. His mobility will be something worth monitoring.