Perreault Debuts on Steven McDonald Night

After a thrashing of the San Jose Sharks on the weekend, the Rangers return home where their final push for the playoffs begin and it starts on Steven McDonald Night against the Minnesota Wild (7PM on MSGSN).

Rangers	Rankings	Wild
35-32-7	Record	41-28-7
20th	League Rank	13th
13th	Goals For	28th
17th	Goals Against	12th
27th	Power play	21st
6th	Penalty Kill	31st

Rangers vs Wild

With eight games left in the regular season, the Blueshirts can’t afford any more major blimps. Every game from here on out is a fight for their playoff lives. New York find themselves two points back of Montreal with the same amount of games played before Wednesday night’s game against Minnesota. The Rangers need a win to keep the pressure on Montreal who just swept the reigning Stanley Cup champions in a home-and-home.
On Wednesday, the Rangers will announce the winner of the 2024-2025 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award during a pregame ceremony. The award is given to the player who went above and beyond the call of duty both on and off the ice. Some years more than others it is obvious who will win the award, but this year it is a wide open race.
- Will Cuylle is likely one of the very few candidates who is being considered after a career high in points and being second in the league for most hits on the season
- Objectively it is very hard to find anyone on the Rangers this season who really deserves the award. If Sam Rosen was eligible to win it in his final season as play-by-play, he would probably be the overwhelming favorite.
Perhaps the most exciting part for Rangers fans will be the debut of former first-round selection Gabe Perreault. Perreault signed his entry-level contract after Boston College were eliminated in their quest for the Frozen Four against Denver. The Illinois native was second in scoring on the team with 48 points – one point behind Washington’s Ryan Leonard. Leonard made his debut on Tuesday night for the Capitals.
- Perreault is expected to play on a line with J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafreniere to open the game as well as joining the second power-play unit. Don’t be surprised if head coach Peter Laviolette mixes and matches the lines with Perreault if he does not like what he sees
- “I’ll be excited,” Perreault said on making his debut. “Obviously, a little bit nervous. But I know that’s part of it. That’s expected, but I’d be super grateful and really thankful for everyone that’s helped me get to this point.”
Brennan Othmann who was a first-round selection in 2021 has two points in the last four games and he will see ice time with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. Othmann has been helpful with Perreault off the ice, keeping in touch with the 19-year-old throughout the year. Perreault is currently staying in the same hotel as Othmann
The Wild have been doing just enough to get by despite being one of the worst offensive teams in the league. A large part of that is due to the absences of Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.
- Kaprizov is third on the Wild in scoring with 52 points. The problem is the Russian winger has missed over half the season and has played in just 37 games.
- Eriksson Ek has played in just 42 games and he has 24 points. Both players are expected back for the playoffs, but they won’t feature for Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Matthew Boldy leads the Wild in points with 63 points in 75 games played. Marco Rossi is second with 55 points.
With the Wild missing two major pieces on offense, they will continue to rely on their defense and overall team game to continue to get them closer to clinching a playoff spot. Minnesota currently holds the last wild card position, but they have a six-point gap to Calgary who is their nearest competitor
Filip Gustavsson will be in goal for the Wild and Swedish netminder has established himself as the team’s number one goaltender. Gustavsson is 29-17-5 with a .917 save percentage on the season. The 26-year-old has been very reliable and he has been one of the league’s top goalies this season.
Igor Shesterkin will get the bulk of starts – if not the rest of them as the season reaches its conclusion. Shesterkin has been very good lately and he has often kept the Rangers in many games. The Russian netminder has a .906 save percentage on the season
New York also gave UCONN goaltender Callum Tung on a three-year entry-level contract. The 21-year-old was 10-4-1 with a .933 save percentage as UCONN reached their first ever NCAA Tournament