The New York Rangers (6-4-2) and the Detroit Red Wings (6-3-2) are two Original Six franchises that will square off for the first of two games this week versus one another. The Rangers are coming off a 5-2 loss on Nov. 3 against the red-hot Boston Bruins while their opponents this evening defeated the New York Islanders, 3-0, on Nov. 5.
The Red Wings are tied for third place with the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs in a competitive Atlantic Division during the early portion of the regular season, while the Rangers are also tied for third place with the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. Here’s our gameday preview.
New York Rangers Projected Lineup
Forwards
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Kaapo Kakko
Artemi Panarin – Vincent Trocheck – Alexis Lafreniere
Jimmy Vesey – Filip Chytil – Barclay Goodrow
Sammy Blais – Ryan Carpenter – Ryan Reaves/Julien Gauthier
Defense
K’Andre Miller – Adam Fox
Zac Jones – Jacob Trouba
Libor Hajek – Braden Schneider
Goaltenders
Jaroslav Halak – Igor Shesterkin
Chytil a Full Participant In Practice, Lindgren Doubtful For Tonight
Chytil is due to come back for the Rangers after missing the last six games with a concussion he suffered during the Oct. 23 contest versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Head coach Gerard Gallant did not commit to putting him back in the lineup for the Red Wings game, despite him participating in full practices, “I’ll find out from the trainers as soon as I meet with them. I’m hoping but I have to find out.” The young center is ready to return saying, “I’m ready to play. I feel 100 percent and I can’t wait for tomorrow. How I started, I was happy about it. I had a little pause but I can’t wait to get back to where I left off.”
Related: Rangers’ Depth Problems Deepened by Chytil Injury
Defenseman Ryan Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury during the Bruins game and his defensive partner, Fox, will be paired with another blueliner as he is listed as doubtful for this evening’s contest. Gallant did not reveal who Fox would be paired with even though Miller and the former Norris Trophy winner were a pair during practice on Nov. 5. The Rangers coach may choose to keep one of his usual pairings in Miller and Trouba together, leaving Hajek or Jones to be paired with their top defenseman. According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, (from ‘Rangers face top-4 decision due to Ryan Lindgren’s injury,’ New York Post, 11/6/22) the head coach ruled out Schneider being partnered with the 24-year-old blueliner as the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native would be paired on his off-hand spot.
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lineup
Forwards
Pius Suter – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Dominik Kubalik – Andrew Copp – David Perron
Austin Czarnik – Michael Rasmussen – Adam Erne
Elmer Soderblom – Joe Veleno – Matt Luff
Defense
Ben Chiarot – Moritz Seider
Olli Maatta – Filip Hronek
Jordan Oesterle – Gustav Lindstrom
Goaltenders
Alex Nedeljkovic – Ville Husso
Zadina Suffers Injury After Blocking Shot, Red Wings Recall Czarnik
During their most recent contest versus the Islanders, the Red Wings sustained another injury as Filip Zadina will be out a while with a leg injury after blocking a shot from Ryan Pulock. Head coach Derek Lalonde commented after the game about the ailment, “Not good. I don’t think we’re going to see him for a while. I haven’t got the complete word, but I got the not good. We’ll know more tomorrow” (from ‘Red Wings Filip Zadina ‘out a while’ after blocking shot,’ MLive, 11/5/22).
Along with Jakub Vrana’s absence due to being placed in the NHL/NHLPA players assistance program and Tyler Bertuzzi (broken hand), Robby Fabbri (ACL surgery), and Oskar Sundqvist (upper-body injury) out, they are contending in the Atlantic. They recalled Austin Czarnik from the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) with the latest injury. He is playing well for their AHL affiliate as he is tied for the lead in points with 10 and will aim to make an impact in his Red Wings’ debut.
Players To Watch
New York Rangers – Filip Chytil
If Gallant puts him in the lineup, the Rangers may get a boost from Chytil, who has progressed after his strong play last year during the Eastern Conference Final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is one of their young forwards that needs to prove he can be reliable for them during 2022-23.
Detroit Red Wings – Andrew Copp
One of the Rangers’ trade deadline additions last season cashed in during the offseason as a free agent by signing with the Red Wings. Copp has one goal and five assists in 11 games this season and his versatility will provide value to his new club after he exhibited that during his brief period with his former club last season and the Winnipeg Jets.
Tonight’s game has a 5:00 PM ET start time and will be broadcast on MSG.
*Rangers lines from @vzmercogliano on Twitter. Red Wings lines from @m_bultman on Twitter.