The NHL world works in mysterious ways sometimes. After writing about how the New York Rangers have significant decisions to make regarding their defensemen before and after the March 7 trade deadline, the Rangers surprised everyone by announcing a five-year deal with Will Borgen on Saturday evening—just seven hours later.
So, part of their future plans are clearer now, but there’s still plenty of uncertainty. The Rangers, who are currently on a 10-game point streak (7-0-3), are looking to keep their momentum going as they face the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. With the Avalanche still reeling from the Mikko Rantanen trade on Friday, a fast start from the Rangers could give them a real edge.
As of Sunday morning, the Rangers sit 11th in the Eastern Conference, trailing the wild card spots by three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets. They’re also two points back of the Ottawa Senators and just one behind the Montreal Canadiens. Over the weekend, it seemed like all the teams ahead of them (and even those right behind them) earned points, so the Rangers need to take care of their own business and focus on the matinee game at Madison Square Garden.
With Ryan Lindgren’s future in doubt, possibly leaving the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent this summer, the focus is back on hockey. Three things to watch for against the Avalanche: the importance of getting bodies to the net, similar to their 6-1 win over the Flyers. The Rangers also made a minor trade, sending forward Ryder Korczak to the Lightning in exchange for Lucas Edmonds, who will report to their AHL affiliate in Hartford.
Despite not having the best advanced stats, the Rangers’ third line of Chris Kreider, Filip Chytil, and Arthur Kaliyev could become a key contributor if coach Peter Laviolette sticks with the current lineup. The Avalanche, still adjusting to the loss of Rantanen, suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Boston Bruins in their first game after the trade, with Martin Necas struggling in his debut.
In other news, former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo logged 25:07 TOI in his Islanders debut after signing with them on Friday. But the Islanders didn’t have all good news—they lost defenseman Ryan Pulock and goalie Marcus Hogberg, both due to upper-body injuries, in their win over the Hurricanes.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres are reportedly interested in star Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks, while the Blue Jackets were hit with a significant injury blow. Forward Sean Monahan will be sidelined for 6-8 more weeks due to a wrist injury that’s healing slower than expected.
The Devils defeated the Canadiens 4-3 in overtime, but captain Nico Hischier suffered an apparent upper-body injury. The Penguins lost 4-1 to the Kraken, and center Evgeni Malkin left with a suspected lower-body injury. The Senators won 2-1 against the Maple Leafs thanks to Shane Pinto’s third-period goal, and Quinn Hughes scored twice to lead the Canucks to a 2-1 victory over the Capitals, snapping Washington’s six-game win streak.
The Ducks defeated the Predators 5-2 but lost goalie John Gibson to an upper-body injury in the first period.
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