Game Thread: Rangers at Lightning
Can the Rangers get another two points in Florida?
Tonight the New York Rangers will be tested by the Lightning in Tampa Bay. Tampa comes into this game as the heavy favorite, with a 23-7-1 record this season and a 13-4-0 record on home ice. They are also 9-1-0 in their last 10 games.
The Rangers bested the Florida Panthers in a shootout on Saturday, but are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. The Rangers also have a brutal record away from Madison Square Garden — the Blueshirts are a lowly 4-8-2 on the road this season.
OK, looks like the lines are:
— Colin Stephenson (@ColinASteph) December 9, 2018
20-93-90
26-13-16
72-21-17
39-50-38
D pairs are same as usual. Smith and McQuaid (red jersey) make up fourth pair.
Louis Domingue will be in net for the Lightning. The Lightning’s leading scorer is Nikita Kucherov. He has 44 points — 12 of which are goals — in 31 games this year. So, he’s pretty good and is always a player to keep an eye on when the Rangers cross sticks with Tampa Bay. Of course, a few of the other players worth keeping an eye on tonight are the handful of former Rangers who are currently playing hockey with the Bolts.
The puck drops 7:35 p.m. tonight. Please use this as your open game thread.
