Back when the New York Rangers came to visit the Winnipeg Jets on February 11, things were a lot different. Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Grabner and JT Miller were all on the Rangers then. Paul Stastny wasn’t on the Jets! He has two goals and two assists in three games with the team, by the way.
It’s a different game. The New York Rangers are tearing it down, but they still have stalwart goalie Henrik Lundqvist. If he’s in net, it would be his 54th start in 67 games. If they go with the youngster, it’ll be Alexandar Georgiev (these names get easier to spell each day). The 22 year old has started three games in his NHL career, but boasts a nice .930 save percentage.
The big news for the Winnipeg Jets, as if facing a last-place non-conference opponent wasn’t fun enough, is the likely return of Steve Mason. He hasn’t played since January 9, and when he was playing, he wasn’t great. It’ll be a big story to see if he can return some form for the stretch run and give the Jets a competent backup. Mason playing well will also allow Winnipeg to give Connor Hellebuyck some much needed rest for the postseason.
The New York Rangers have actually won their last three games, but will be without top center Mika Zibanejad. They now rely on their top scorer Mats Zuccarello, who may become their new captain. Another option is the rejuvenated Chris Kreider, who has a three game point streak going. The big, quick winger has a history of ridiculous hot streaks. The defense is unrecognizable, however, with only two starters remaining from the start of the season. Marc Staal and young Brady Skjei remain.
Next: Winnipeg's Successful Deadline
Winnipeg will be hoping Patrik Laine continues his torrid pace, with 10 goals in his last eight games. He’s up to 35 in total, which is tied for third in the league. With just Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin ahead of him, the Rocket Richard trophy is in reach for the kid. Good stuff. Nikolaj Ehlers is also riding a five game point streak, and he scored the lone goal for Winnipeg against New York on Feb 11. Enjoy the game from the World’s Most Famous Arena.