For the second time in 24 hours, the Rangers and Red Wings will square off in an Original Six contest of Eastern Conference bottom feeders. Last night’s game saw Igor Shesterkin back the Blueshirts to a 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden, and the teams have flown to Detroit in advance of round two of their bout in Little Caesars Arena.

The Rangers returned from the All-Star break with a bleak playoff outlook, but they took a step in the right direction with last night’s victory. If David Quinn’s squad can leave the Motor City with two more standings points, they’ll be able to build a degree of momentum towards turning their playoff dreams into a reality.

Player to Watch: Henrik Lundqvist

Between Alexandar Georgiev’s strong play throughout the season, Igor Shesterkin’s recall, and the extended All-Star break, New York’s franchise pillar has only made one start dating back to January 3rd. Lundqvist is on pace for the lowest numbers of starts he’s ever made in his career, even when including lockout and/or injury shortened seasons. The extended layoff could be a good thing to keep The King fresh for the stretch run, or it could have prevented Lundqvist from establishing any sort of rhythm in goal. We’ll find out if it’s the former or latter tonight.

Enjoy the game!