The Kid Line For the New York Rangers Reunites in Detroit

Following a gut wrenching 4-3 defeat to the New York Islanders, the Rangers will reunite “The Kid Line” in attempt to get out of their current rut

Rangers	NHL Rankings	Red Wings
6-5-3	Record	7-3-3
17^th	NHL Standing Rank	11^th
25^th	GF/PG	18^th
13^th	GA/PG	11^th
11^th	PP%	27^th
18^th	PK%	9^th

Previous Game

The Rangers dropped their third straight game on Tuesday to the New York Islanders. The Blueshirts had a good chance of getting back in the win column as they entered the third period with a two-goal lead. They had many chances to kill the game off but ultimately, they couldn’t get the job done and their frustration continued. In many games last year, the Blueshirts won many games they had no business winning. Tuesday’s game the Rangers lost a game they had no business losing.

“We deserved the game tonight,” said head coach Gerard Gallant. Gallant shook up the lines hoping to get a spark out of his team prior to the game.

The Blueshirts got goals from Filip Chytil, Chris Kreider, and Vincent Trocheck. Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves on 26 shots.

“It’s a tough start to the season for us,” said Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. “We’re going to keep working through it.”

Rangers vs Detroit

Despite playing well, the Blueshirts fell short and now face pressure as they head to Detroit. Gallant is going back to the well as he made some tweaks to the lines in practices. The most notable change is fully reuniting ‘The Kid Line’ for the first time since Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Final last season. With this change, Gallant is hoping to have three lines that are capable of scoring.

The top two lines will consist of Chris Kreider being reunited with Mika Zibanejad after playing on separate lines last game. Jimmy Vesey who has been noticeable in previous games will get a chance on the top line. Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck will be joined by Vitaly Kravtsov.

The Rangers may get some positive news as Ryan Lindgren practiced on Wednesday. Lindgren had missed the previous two games after taking a cheap shot from Bruins forward David Pastrnak. If Lindgren is available, expect one of Libor Hajek or Zac Jones to be a healthy scratch in Detroit.

The Red Wings and the Rangers will be facing off in a rematch from Sunday evening. The game started off well for the Rangers as they had a 2-0 lead after the first period. By the end of the second period, the game was tied as the Rangers saw their two-goal lead evaporate. Ultimately, a penalty in overtime by K’Andre Miller would be the difference as the Red Wings left Madison Square Garden with two points.

Since Detroit played the Blueshirts on Sunday, the faced off against Montreal and suffered a shootout defeat. The big news following that game was Red Wings forward Matt Luff suffering a wrist injury after a dangerous hit from the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft – Juraj Slafkovsky. Luff scored the Red Wings first goal that sparked the Red Wings comeback on Sunday.

Ville Husso will get the start for Detroit. The Blueshirts saw Alex Nedeljkovic on Sunday and now will face the starting netminder for the Red Wings. Husso was signed in free agency following his departure from St. Louis. The 27-year-old has had a very strong start to the season. Husso currently holds a record of a 5-1-2 with a .941 save percentage.

Key to the Game

The key to the game for the Rangers will be to have three threatening scoring lineups that are dangerous throughout the game. The Blueshirts have often faced periods where they have been passengers more than in the drivers seat this season. The Blueshirts need to get back on track and play the way everyone knows they can play.