New York Rangers Host the Central Division Leading Stars

After a thrilling come from behind victory against the New York Islanders in the Stadium Series, the Blueshirts must refocus as they take on the Central Division leading Dallas Stars (7:00PM on MSG)

Rangers	Rankings	Stars
36-16-3	Record	34-14-8
5th	League Rank	4th
12th	Goals For	1st
8th	Goals Against	13th
5th	Power play	12th
6th	Penalty Kill	7th

Previous Game

The Rangers are coming off a 6-5 victory in overtime against the New York Islanders. The Blueshirts found themselves down 4-1 in the second period and were able to make it a one goal game to enter the third period. But as the game was winding down, the Rangers found themselves down two goals once again. With less than five minutes in the game, the Blueshirts scored two power play goals in a span of two minutes and 39 seconds to tie the game with 89 seconds left on the clock. In overtime, Artemi Panarin batted a pass out of the air by Noah Dobson and managed to get the puck over the goal line just ten seconds into the extra frame to win it for the Rangers.

“I have to say, the atmosphere was electric,” said Panarin. “It was something I couldn’t compare anything else to. I had to hold back tears, just because it was that much of a spectacle.”

Matt Rempe became the first player in NHL history to make his NHL debut in an outdoor game and he made an immediate impact. Rempe dropped the gloves with Islanders forward Matt Martin the first time he touched the ice and got the crowd fired up.

“I know he’s a tough customer and I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Rempe said. After the game Martin told Rempe he has further reach then former Islanders defender Zdeno Chara. Chara stands at 6’9 whereas Rempe stands at 6’7.

Rangers vs Stars

The Blueshirts can’t celebrate their win for too long as they must refocus to take on a very tough Dallas Stars team. Although the Stars have lost two-in-a-row including Monday afternoon in Boston, they have won seven of their past ten games, and are currently sitting at the top of the central division.

The Rangers will go back to Igor Shesterkin and they will need him at the top of his game as the Stars currently average the best goals per game in the NHL. Dallas currently has ten players over 30 points whereas the Rangers have just six players. Jason Robertson currently leads the Stars with points at 56. After being bought out by the Nashville Predators in the summer last offseason, Matt Duchene joined the Stars for just three million dollars on a one-year contract and that move has worked out wonderfully for Dallas. Duchene has 55 points on the season and he is a plus 18 on the season. With high quality play like this, Duchene could find himself getting one last big payday on what should be one of his final contracts this upcoming offseason. The 33-year-old finds himself as a game-time decision due to a lower-body injury.

If Duchene is unavailable, expect Dallas to give Logan Stankoven his NHL debut. At 20-years-old Stankoven is a former second-round pick and he has a highly touted offensive game. Stankoven has 57 points in 46 games in the AHL this season.

Other injuries for the Stars include Jani Hakanpaa and Evgeni Dadonov who will both miss Tuesday’s game. Former Rangers first-round pick Nils Lundkvist has been out of the lineup due to concussion-like symptoms.

Scott Wedgewood will get the start in goal for the Stars. Jake Oettinger started Monday afternoon in Boston in a game that the Bruins won in a shootout. Wedgewood was solid in the first meeting between the two teams making 30 saves on 33 shots in a 6-3 win in Dallas. The Blueshirts had a 2-1 lead entering the third period, but ultimately the Stars scored twice in under two minutes on two separate occasions in the third period.

Ryan Lindgren is expected to be available for the Rangers. Lindgren left the stadium series in the third period and ultimately he needed ten stitches below his eye. While it doesn’t look pretty and it was swollen shut for a little while following the previous game, Lindgren told the media on Tuesday afternoon that he is good to go.

The Blueshirts are expected to stick with the same lineup that faced the Islanders. Jimmy Vesey will remain on the top line and Rempe will remain on the fourth line while Alex Belzile will continue to serve as a healthy scratch.

Bet of the Night

The bet of the night is taking over 6.5 goals. The two teams scored nine between them in the first game and the Rangers have been over this number in three of the last four games. Dallas has been over this in two of the last three games. At +102 odds, a $5 bet will pay $10.10 for a profit of $5.10.

Current record: 20-16

Current Money Total (Based on $5 bets) – We are up $31.77 on the season