Discussion of the Day: 10/19/23
Happy Thursday everyone. Tonight the New York Rangers are back in action where they will take on a Nashville Predators squad that is fresh off a 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The 1-3-0 Predators will look to star goaltender Juuse Saros to have a bounceback performance, and I bring him up because today’s prompt is about goaltending.
The expectation is that Igor Shesterkin will start again vs. the Predators, and it will be his fourth start in a row. With that said, when do you think we will see Jonathan Quick’s first start, and what type of usage do you expect him to get?
Quick did not look very good in the preseason, and to be fair the same can be said of a lot of veteran NHL players with nothing to prove. His overall play has been in decline, but there were some brief moments last season in which he was serviceable. The team’s upcoming schedule features a five-game road trip, and there’s a few options where Quick could get into some game action.
- Saturday, October 20th at Seattle
- Tuesday, October 24th at Calgary
- Thursday, October 26th at Edmonton
- Saturday, October 28th at Vancouver
- Monday, October 30th at Winnipeg
Saturday in Seattle to start the road trip or Tuesday in Calgary feels like a good spot. I think either of these allows Igor to get a brief break, and then he’s able to get back into his groove of play. There are no back-to-backs on the trip, and I doubt the team would start Quick on the 30th vs. Winnipeg because that would mean Igor would play on Saturday the 28th only to sit until the team’s next game on Thursday, November 2nd vs. Carolina.
I guess when Quick gets his first start doesn’t mean all that much given we are so early into the season, but it was something I’d been thinking about. I am glad the Rangers’ schedule is amping up, because it gives us more of a sample to evaluate this team.
I hope you have a great Thursday, and enjoy tonight’s game.