Rangers vs. Ducks: 3 things to watch for in bounce-back game
After skating against the defending Stanley Cup champions 48 hours prior, the New York Rangers will host the up-and-coming Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The Rangers are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, their first regulation defeat in seven games this season (5-1-1). The loss snapped a franchise-record, six-game point streak from the start of a season.
Where that game Thursday pitted two of the elite teams in the NHL, this one has a clear favorite, meaning the Rangers can’t afford a letdown against a talented young Ducks team, that features a League-high six players aged 21 and under. Effort shouldn’t be an issue for the Rangers, considering how upset they were with their collective performance against the Panthers.
The Ducks (3-2-1) begin a four-game road trip, with games against the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins to follow. They’re coming off a 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks, but have yet to win consecutive games this season.
The Rangers are 9-2-1 in their past 12 meetings with the Ducks, including a 5-1 win at MSG last December and a 5-2 win in Anaheim in January.
Related: Rangers recall Jake Leschyshyn from Hartford
3 things to watch for when Rangers host Ducks
1. Zac’s back
Zac Jones returns to the Rangers lineup after being a healthy scratch the past three games. The 24-year-old defenseman said the other day he wasn’t happy with his first four games this season and used the past week as a “reset” to get his play back on track.
He has one assist this season and his overall metrics, including a 44.6 percent xGF percentage and a scoring chances rate of 45.83 percent, per Natural Stat Trick, haven’t been great. The Rangers have outscored opponents 5-1 5v5 with Jones on the ice, though.
His return means rookie Victor Mancini takes a seat for the first time in eight games. The 22-year-old struggled against the Panthers; the Rangers were outchanced 13-1 with him on the ice.
Jones will pair with Braden Schneider, who moves back to his natural right side. Ryan Lindgren moves up to partner with Jacob Trouba. And K’Andre Miller remains on the top pair with Adam Fox.
2. Money man
This will be Alexis Lafreniere’s first game since agreeing to a seven-year, $52.15 million contract on Friday. You can expect the Garden Faithful to salute the popular 23-year-old forward, a cornerstone piece of the Rangers foundation moving forward, when he takes the ice Saturday.
Lafreniere has at least one point in six of seven games this season. He’s third with four goals and tied for third with seven points after breaking out with 28 goals and 57 points in 2023-24.
When the Rangers failed to generate much offensively against the Panthers on Thursday, it was Lafreniere who scored their only goal. He’s become a nightly force game-in and game-out and is making a case to be selected to play for Canada at the 4 Nations Tournament in February.
3. Quick favorites
Jonathan Quick is the winningest United States-born goalie in NHL history with 394 victories, and can soon become the 15th goalie all-time to reach 400 wins. The team he’s won the most games against in his career? The Anaheim Ducks.
So, no surprise then that Quick gets the start against his favorite opponent Saturday. Well, that, and it’s a logical spot in the schedule to give Igor Shesterkin a night off.
Quick is 29-13-9 in 53 games against the Ducks with a 2.36 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Nearly all of that came when he was tending goal for the Los Angeles Kings, a division rival of Anaheim’s. But he did defeat the Ducks last season when playing for the Rangers, stopping 29 of 30 shots on Dec. 15 at MSG.
In his only start this season, Quick had 29 saves in a 5-2 road win against the Detroit Red Wings nine days ago.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko
Edstrom – Carrick – Brodzinski
Miller – Fox
Lindgren – Trouba
Jones – Schneider
Quick
Shesterkin
Check back for updates after Rangers coach Peter Laviolette meets with the media Saturday morning.
Rangers vs. Ducks: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Anaheim Ducks
When: Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. ET
How to Watch: MSG
Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results
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