New York Rangers Daily: Roaring start to 4 Nations Face-Off; Noah Dobson intrigue with Islanders
Let me clue you in on a little secret. I’m not crazy about interrupting the NHL season for two weeks for an international hockey tournament, especially one that doesn’t include all the greatest players in the world (none from Russia, Czechia, Slovakia).
Dave Maloney and I were in agreement about that when we discussed our interest in the 4 Nations Face-Off on the latest Rink Rap podcast.
I may have to call Dave back now, though, and reconsider my position. I’m not going to lie, I really enjoyed the Sweden-Canada opener to the 4 Nations on Wednesday. Great crowd, great atmosphere, great game.
The only downside was seeing Shea Theodore sustain an upper-body injury and then hearing later that the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman is out for the remainder of the tournament. This becomes a bigger issue to me if he misses some time for Vegas after being hurt in an exhibition game.
I know the argument is that a player can get hurt at any time in any game, or even practice. Sure, it comes with the territory over an 82-game NHL schedule. But it’s so much more difficult to stomach when that injury occurs in a game that’s not for his NHL team, in my opinion.
Maybe Rangers fans don’t care. It’s Shea Theodore. It’s the Golden Knights. But you’ll be singing a different tune if Adam Fox sprains a knee or J.T. Miller pops a shoulder when the United States plays Finland on Thursday, for example.
But that said, yes, I’ll be watching that U.S.-Finland game and the rest of this mid-season tournament. Can’t keep me away from exciting hockey played by some of the best players on earth (did you see Sidney Crosby on Wednesday night?!). Just fingers crossed that there are no more injuries along the way.
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New York Rangers news
Mika Zibanejad nearly capped a stirring comeback by Sweden in overtime Wednesday, but Mitchell Marner eventually won it for Canada, 4-3, in OT.
J.T. Miller sees the 4 Nations Face-Off as a chance to grow “friendship and a bond” with new Rangers teammates Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider on Team USA.
Our Tara Salvati provided a list of one thing each of the six Rangers taking part in the 4 Nations should try to accomplish at the tournament, outside of helping their team win it, of course!
Speaking of Dave Maloney earlier and his guest spot on Rink Rap, the former Rangers captain also had some really interesting things to say about Jacob Trouba and how revered he was as the Blueshirts leader during his tenure in New York.
John Kreiser breaks down the Rangers long road to landing a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference over the final 27 games of the regular season.
Tom Castro writes that the Rangers should be pretty concerned over Alexis Lafreniere’ regression this season.
NHL news
We wrote about the Columbus Blue Jackets and how general manager Don Waddell believes he owes it to his surprising team to keep it together ahead of and after the trade deadline and let it make a run at a playoff spot.
The NHL and NHLPA announced that the World Cup of Hockey featuring eight countries will return in 2028. That guarantees best-on-best international hockey tournaments every two years, beginning with the 2026 Milano Olympics and including the 2028 World Cup and 2030 French Alps Olympics.
Sidney Crosby was the First Star in Canada’s 4-3 overtime win against Sweden at the 4 Nations. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain had three assists and Canada has now won 26 straight international games with Crosby in the lineup.
Watch this slick Crosby feed to set up a Nathan MacKinnon power-play goal.
Canada coach Jon Cooper said “it’s heartbreaking for the kid,” referring to Shea Theodore sustaining an upper-body injury that knocks him out for the rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Miracle on Ice hero Mike Eruzione said that the current United States team competing at the 4 Nations “is the best collection of American talent ever put on the ice.”
Brad Marchand, speaking in Montreal where he’s playing for Canada at the 4 Nations, said he doesn’t expect the Boston Bruins to trade him ahead of the March 7 deadline even though he’s a pending unrestricted free agent.
Here’s a breakdown of what Noah Dobson’s switching agents means for him and the Islanders.
Jesse Puljujarvi explained why he sought to have his contract with the Penguins terminated earlier this week.
Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle was assigned to Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League on a conditioning stint. He’s been out since November following pelvic surgery.
Watch Mitchell Marner score in overtime to help Canada defeat Sweden 4-3.
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