New York Rangers Looking for Another Win Tonight in Arizona

After snapping a four-game skid in Dallas, the Rangers will look to string two wins together as they take on the Arizona Coyotes in their temporary new home (8:00 P.M. ET, MSGSN).

Rangers	NHL Rankings	Coyotes
4-3-2	Record	2-4-1
19^th	NHL Standing Rank	31^st
22^nd	GF/PG	23^rd
17^th	GA/PG	32^nd
15^th	PP%	5^th
11^th	PK%	9^th

Previous Game

The Rangers are coming off a much-needed victory over the Dallas Stars. While the Blueshirts superstars came to play and led the way, the Rangers got key attributions from their depth including Julien Gauthier and defenseman Zac Jones. With the game tied in the third, Jones would give the Blueshirts the lead from a shot from the slot that beat backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood who came in relief for the allegedly injured Jake Oettinger. Gauthier made a highlight reel goal as he made a hustle play to beat Wedgewood to a loose puck and score from a sharp angle while falling to the ice. The Rangers offensive depth hasn’t been great to start the season, but they will hope that spark against Dallas can continue against the Coyotes.

In an unfortunate situation, Vitaly Kravtsov left the game with his third different injury of the young season as he continues to look to establish himself in the league. Kravtsov slid hard into the boards, head first, and left with an upper-body injury. Head coach Gerard Gallant called Kravtsov day-to-day with an upper body injury, but will be further evaluated on Sunday.

Rangers

With Kravtsov unlikely to suit up on Sunday, Ryan Reaves will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in Dallas. Filip Chytil is close to returning, but it is unlikely he plays after leave practice early on Friday after not feeling well. The only other option Gallant has is to run with seven defensemen and leave a forward scratched.

This needs to be a get right game for the Rangers as they continue to look to find their game. The Blueshirts beat a good Dallas team on Saturday and now they need this to be a confidence booster. New York’s offense hasn’t been lights out to the start the year but they now get a chance to face the leagues worst defense. The depth lighted a spark in Dallas which they hope they can turn into a flame in the desert. This marks the third time this season that the Rangers are playing in a back-to-back. The Blueshirts are currently 0-2 in the second games of back-to-backs.

Mullet Arena

One thing Shesterkin and the rest of the Rangers will have to be aware of is their surroundings in Mullet Arena. The Coyotes just had their home opener this week and are in the midst of a four-game homestand. Despite just a one-game sample size, the first game at Mullet Arena, also home to the Arizona State Sun Devils, played very quickly and the boards were extremely lively. It will be a different atmosphere from dressing room to the ice and will make for a different challenge.

Coyotes

The Coyotes haven’t been good at five-on-five and they allow the most goals per game in the league. Arizona is in the middle of a large rebuild including on the ice and off the ice. Arizona currently shares their arena with a college team as they look to find a long-term solution. On the ice, the Coyotes have been acquiring veterans and players with non-team friendly deals to get draft picks and younger assets. The Blueshirts and Coyotes made a deal in the past offseason as the Rangers traded away Patrik Nemeth along with draft picks to Arizona for a minor leaguer in a salary cap dumping move.

Arizona is currently 2-4-1 in a season that is expected to be a disaster. Following the four-game homestand, the Coyotes will embark on a fourteen-game road-trip which will take them across the United States – including a game at Madison Square Garden. Arizona is led in points by defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere who has four goals and four assists in seven games. Clayton Keller is also a point-per-game player with seven in seven.

Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram are the Coyotes goaltenders who both have unimpressive numbers. Both netminders have a goals-against-average above 4.00 and a save percentage below .900.