Preseason Game Thread: 9/27 Rangers vs Islanders
New York Rangers hockey is back.
The wait is finally over. New York Rangers hockey is back tonight with a preseason game against the rival New York Islanders.
It's #NYR game night @TheGarden!!!! pic.twitter.com/dXZb4k7YT5
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 27, 2016
Mika Zibanejad, Brandon Pirri, Pavel Buchnevich, Josh Jooris, Robin Kovacs, and Malte Stromwall are all making their MSG debuts tonight against the Islanders. There are several others, but I think you get the point. There are a lot of new faces to keep an eye on tonight including Zibanejad and Buchnevich.
Here are all of tonight's Rangers skaters:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Pirri - Jooris- Jensen
Kovacs - Hrivik - Stromwall
Glass - Lapierre - Brown
Staal - Clendening
Skjei - Girardi
Bodie - McIlrath
In net for the Rangers will be towering Swedish goaltender Magnus Hellberg and Mackenzie Skapski. They are expected to split the game.
AV says the #NYR goalies will split time tonight with Hellberg getting the start.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 27, 2016
The kids will have their work cut out for them tonight. The Islanders will have a lot more experience and NHL talent on the ice than the Rangers will. Newcomers Andrew Ladd, Jason Chimera, and P.A. Parenteau are all in the lineup for the Isles. Travis Hamonic, Nick Leddy, and Brock Nelson are also dressing for tonight's game.
The focus for Rangers fans tonight will be on Kovacs, Buchnevich, Zibanejad, and the forwards battling it out for a role and roster spot in the bottom six forward group. How will Jooris look? What will we see from Pirri? It will also be interesting to see what Adam Clendening looks like getting top pair minutes with Marc Staal.
There is an abundance of things you can and should be paying attention to. Really, there's too many to list. All that really matters is that NHL hockey is finally back.
Let's go Rangers.