New York Rangers Daily: Rink Rap podcast, 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, NHL injuries pile up
Welcome to the New York Rangers Daily, a new one-stop spot each morning for the latest news on the Blueshirts and the rest of the NHL.
The Rangers have a complete day off Thursday before returning to action Friday at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Only one point separates the Metropolitan Division rivals (Rangers have 27, Penguins 26), though New York has three games in hand (24 to 27).
None of the Metro teams played Wednesday, but three are in action Thursday. That includes the Philadelphia Flyers, who are tied with the Rangers for fourth in the division and host the Florida Panthers at Wells Fargo Center. After that game, the Rangers will have two games in hand on the Flyers.
The game against the Penguins begins a busy stretch of three games in four days for the Blueshirts, all at home, and four in six. So, this three-day break between games is welcomed by the Rangers before things get busy again.
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New York Rangers news
Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck were named to the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will be played in February. They join Adam Fox, who was previously selected to play for the U.S. Kaapo Kakko was named to Finland’s roster, and Mike Zaibanejad was an original selection for Sweden. So, that gives the Rangers five players in the round-robin international tournament.
We took a deep dive into Igor Shesterkin’s recent struggles on Wednesday. First, Chris Savino detailed why Shesterkin deserves his fair share of blame for the Rangers recent struggles. Then John Kreiser and I debated just how concerned the Rangers and their fans should be about Shesterkin’s subpar play recently.
Speaking of deep dives, I break down who’s to blame for the current Rangers mess and explain why Fox’s recent comments irritated me — among other topics — on the latest Rink Rap podcast presented by Forever Blueshirts.
Legendary Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen was officially honored as the winner of the 2024 Lester Patrick Trophy on Wednesday night by the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Also, former Rangers forwards Kevin Stevens and Matt Cullen were enshrined into the USHHOF. Here’s more about that from our story published in September.
NHL news
Each country taking part in the 4 Nations Face-Off revealed its complete roster Wednesday. Take a look at how each team shapes up: Canada, Finland, Sweden, and United States.
The Anaheim Ducks not only lost 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, but they lost forward Trevor Zegras to a lower-body injury after the forward limped off the ice in the second period. Remember, he had a pair of ankle injuries last season. when he played only 31 games.
Speaking of injuries, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek is out eight weeks following a lower-body procedure. And the first-overall Minnesota Wild revealed a long list of injuries, which included an update on former Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello.
The Los Angeles Kings rallied for a 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars, extending their winning streak to a season-high four games.
Auston Matthews is healthy again and the Toronto Maple Leafs are reaping the benefits. After missing nine games with an injury, Matthews has five points (three goals, two assists) in three games, each of which Toronto picked up a W. Matthews scored twice in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.
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