Game Thread: Rangers vs Senators
It’s Steven McDonald night at the Garden
Tonight, at the Garden, the Rangers will host the Ottawa Senators.
The Blueshirts will have Henrik Lundqvist in net, but will be without rookie Filip Chytil — who is out of the lineup with a day-to-day injury — and healthy scratch Fredrik Claesson. Also, according to Colin Stephenson, winger Pavel Buchnevich is questionable.
Pregame updates from #NYR Coach Quinn:
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 3, 2019
-Henrik will be in net vs. OTT
-Gilmour will be back in the lineup
-Chytil will be out and is day-to-day
-Claesson is out
Ottawa has the worst record in the league, but they have been a .500 hockey team over their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Rangers are sixth from the bottom with 75 points and are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games.
The most important wrinkle to tonight’s game is that we will hear the winner of this year’s Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. It is, without a doubt, an essential part of the Rangers culture as a team. Henrik Lundqvist won last year’s award. He had previously won the award in 2006 in his rookie season.
After tonight’s game there are just two games left in the regular season for David Quinn and his Rangers. The last two teams left on the schedule are both Metropolitan Division rivals — the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
