Something has to break Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers come in 5-0-0 at home, one of those rare starts that puts them in franchise company - this is just the third time in 100 years they’ve won each of their first five games at MSG. Across the ice, the Ducks arrive with a road record that has stayed spotless at 3-0-0, the first time in franchise history they opened a season that way away from Honda Center.
New York is back home after a rough two-game trip that ended 0-1-1. The latest setback was Saturday in Columbus, where the Rangers fell 1-0 in overtime to the Blue Jackets. It was a tight game throughout, with goaltending and penalty killing doing most of the heavy lifting on both sides before Kent Johnson finished it 3:26 into OT.
Dylan Garand was a big reason the Rangers got a point. He stopped 28 shots after being pulled in the previous game, a 7-1 loss in New Jersey on Thursday.
Afterward, he said, “I thought it was a great response by us,” Garand told reporters postgame. “Last game (against the Devils) was not good obviously, but sometimes that happens and you don’t feel happy about it, but I really like the way we responded.
I thought we battled hard, competed hard, but that’s a good team over there and it sucks to not get the [win], but a lot good thigs for sure.”
Monday’s meeting doesn’t carry the same kind of edge the Ducks brought to their last visit to MSG. That game, on Dec. 15 last season, featured Chris Kreider’s return to New York after the Rangers traded him to Anaheim the summer before.
It also came with an unusual wrinkle: Mika Zibanejad sat out after coach Mike Sullivan scratched him for being late to a team meeting. Anaheim won that night 4-1.
The Ducks had New York’s number all season. Anaheim swept the four-game set, including a 5-3 win at home on Jan.
- Cutter Gauthier was a major part of that, scoring four times in those two games and finishing last season with 41 goals.
The 22-year-old now has five points - two goals and three assists - in six games after landing a six-year, $81 million contract.
Leo Carlsson also arrived with a huge new deal after the Ducks matched the offer sheet he signed with the Flyers in the summer. That one came in at five years and $90 million, or $18 million per season.
The 21-year-old center has been just as important early, leading Anaheim with nine points - two goals and seven assists - in seven games. Against the Rangers, he has eight points in five games, all with one goal and seven assists.
Anaheim is coming off a 4-2 home loss to the Bruins on Friday and now begins a four-game road swing that also includes visits to the Islanders, Devils and Flyers.
For New York, this starts a quick return to life on the road. After Monday night, the Rangers head to Toronto on Thursday and Ottawa on Saturday. They’re 1-3-1 away from home so far.
Garand is set to make his fifth straight start for the Rangers. Ville Husso is expected to go in goal for Anaheim.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Gabe Perreault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye - J.T. Miller - Pavel Dorofeyev
Will Cuylle - Noah Laba - Eeli Tolvanen
Oliver Bjorkstrand - Justin Dowling - Taylor Raddysh
Valdislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson - Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits - Braden Schneider
Dylan Garand
Spencer Martin
Rangers vs. Ducks: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Anaheim Ducks
When: Monday, October 19 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to watch: MSG
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For Glendening, it is also another swing at finding a landing spot after he was in Tampa Bays camp on a PTO and came away without a contract. With New York, the arrangement keeps the door open for both sides, and it gives the Rangers a low-risk look at a player who can help shape the bottom of the lineup while the team sorts through its options. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the fit looks less settled than the Rangers probably wanted, especially as they juggle cap considerations and try to keep roster space flexible. Bjorkstrands place in the lineup has become one of those quiet but meaningful questions around the team, and it is no surprise that his name has surfaced as a possible trade piece if New York decides it needs to reshape the bottom of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Are Suddenly In The Middle Of A Goalie Market Twist
The Rangers have spent time looking hard at the goalie market, and the names connected to that search tell the story of a team keeping its options open. New York has scouted Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Karel Vejmelka, while insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Rangers goalie scout Scott Clemmensen has also been evaluating other possibilities, including Ville Husso, as the club continues to search for help in net.
What makes the situation more interesting is that the Rangers may wind up affecting a much bigger move without being the team that makes it directly. The goalie market could still be shaped by a Connor Hellebuyck chain reaction, and New York might end up serving as the trigger for that domino effect rather than the final destination. For a team still sorting out its goaltending picture, it is the kind of twist that can change the board quickly. [Read more 🡒]