The Rangers are playing in their second of a back-to-back in need of a win against the Arizona Coyotes (9:00 P.M. EST, MSG).

Previous Game

               The Rangers were defeated 4-2 by the Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers competed and would not go away but ultimately, they fell just short. The goal scorers for New York were Ryan Strome and Julien Gauthier. Chris Kreider had a chance to tie it late but was denied by the pad of Avalanche netminder Darcy Kuemper. Alex Georgiev had a strong game in goal despite allowing four goals. It wasn’t the redemption the Rangers were after but it was a better effort than the first meeting between the two teams.

“I thought we played for 60 minutes,” said Ryan Strome. I thought we competed.”

Rangers

               The Blueshirts will be right back in action in a game they must win. Okay, it’s not a “must-win” but it is very important the Rangers take care of business on Wednesday night. With losses in three of the last four games, it is really important to stop this skid and not let their winning streak go to waste. In an odd way, this needs to be a “get right game” for the Rangers – especially on offense. Over the past two games, the Rangers have had struggles maintaining offensive zone time and establishing their forecheck. In addition, they haven’t been shooting enough pucks on goal. They had just 18 shots on goal prior to the final 3:10 of the third period where they recorded ten additional shots.

Keith Kinkaid could be in line for his first start of the season. With Shesterkin still on the IR and Georgiev playing on Wednesday, Kinkaid will likely draw the start. The 32-year-old provided the Blueshirts with some stability in the net last season and was often favored to Georgiev by former head coach David Quinn.

Coyotes

               There isn’t much to say that is good about the Coyotes. They have a poor on-ice product including the last place offense and defense in the league and their special teams are barely above last. To make matters worse, the Coyotes could be kicked out of their arena later in the month if they don’t pay the city the money they are owed.

               They do have a few players who can make the opposition pay including Clayton Keller who has 17 points on the season. They also have Phil Kessel who has 15 points on the season and he will likely get traded at some point. It is a clear rebuild for the Coyotes as they are acquiring older talents and bad contracts so they can add draft picks.

               Former Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood will be in goal for the Coyotes. Wedgewood was claimed off waivers and has done a fine job given the circumstances. The 29-year-old holds a record of 3-6-1 with a .912 save percentage.

What to Watch

               The Rangers need to come out and take them seriously. Although the Coyotes are a mediocre team to this point, if they don’t take them seriously – not only will the Rangers lose the game but they will get embarrassed too. Having played last night, it is important that the Blueshirts get off to a good start and take a lead as they will get fatigued quicker as the game progresses. They need to use this as a “get right game” and build some confidence for when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.

Projected Lineup

Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko

Panarin-Strome-Hunt

Lafreniere-Chytil-Gauthier

Rooney-Goodrow-Reaves

Lindgren-Fox

Miller-Trouba

Nemeth-Hajek

Kinkaid/Georgiev