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               The Rangers are set to begin a four-game road trip in Midwest North America starting against the Jets (7:00 P.M. EST, MSG+).

RangersNHL RankingsJets
35-15-5Record24-21-10
6thNHL Standing Rank21st  
19thGF/PG17th
3rdGA/PG18th
5thPP%12th
7thPK%21st  

Previous Game

               After snapping their two-game losing skid on Wednesday against the Blues, the Rangers have responded with two straight wins by defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-1. With the win against the Devils, the Blueshirts have now defeated New Jersey in eight straight games. Mika Zibanejad, Filip Chytil, and Chris Kreider all tallied a goal against the Devils. Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves on 33 shots in what was another spectacular performance.

               “He’s been unbelievable,” said head coach Gerard Gallant. “I mean, seriously. How many great saves on grade-A chances?”

               While Gallant was happy with the win, he wasn’t particularly pleased with how the Rangers played.

               “I hate to critique a win, but I know we can be better than that,” said Gallant.

Rangers

               After playing three straight games on home ice, the Rangers will work their way through the Midwest for four-in-a-row on the road. They’ll start from the north in Winnipeg and end in the south against Dallas. Sunday night’s game will be the first time the two teams have played each other in over two years.

The Blueshirts could once again be short three forwards (not counting Sammy Blais being out for the season) as Kevin Rooney and Kaapo Kakko remain week-to-week. Greg McKegg missed the previous game due to being sick. Jonny Brodzinski stepped in and was a reliable penalty killer. If McKegg is available, expect Brodzinski or Morgan Barron to be a healthy scratch.

               Looking to stick it to his former team is Jacob Trouba. The 28-year-old spent his first six seasons in the league as a member of the Jets before being traded to the Rangers. Trouba was the ninth overall selection in the 2012 draft by the Winnipeg Jets.

               Expect Shesterkin to get the nod in goal once again as he looks to continue his hot play. With the Rangers playing every other day on the road trip, expect Shesterkin to start all three – if not all four games barring some unusual circumstances.

Jets

               Winnipeg enters the game having lost five of their previous seven games. Their head coach Paul Maurice resigned honorably after deciding that the Winnipeg locker room needed a new voice. Maurice coached the Jets for nine seasons prior to his resignation. The Jets have gone 11-10-5 since Maurice left the organization.

               Leading the Jets in points is Kyle Connor who has 62 points in 55 games including 33 goals. Connor is on pace for a career-best season and is set to shatter his season-high career point total of 73. The Jets have a lot of depth at forward and a lot of different players that can hurt you. Another one of those players is Blake Wheeler who has 38 points in 41 games. Wheeler has been a consistent point scorer throughout his career and is someone you always have to keep an eye on.

               Also looking to stick it to his former team is Neal Pionk. Pionk was also involved in the trade that sent Trouba to New York and he has been a mainstay on the Jets blueline. Pionk currently has 24 points in 50 games on the season.

               Expect Connor Hellebuyck to get the start in goal for the Jets. Hellebuyck has struggled in recent games. He’s given up 14 goals in his past three starts and at least three goals in each of his past four starts. The 28-year-old currently holds a .911 save percentage on the season.

Key to the Game

               The key to the game for the Rangers could be the depth of the Rangers. With Winnipeg very deep on offense, the Rangers will need big games from their depth players including Braden Schneider and Patrik Nemeth.

Projected Lineup

Kreider-Zibanejad-Lafreniere

Panarin-Strome-Hunt

McKegg-Chytil-Gauthier

Reaves-Rooney-Goodrow

Lindgren-Fox

Miller-Trouba

Nemeth-Schneider

Shesterkin

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