Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Highlights: NYI 2, NYR 1 (5:02 video via NHL.com)
• Game Recap: Igor Shesterkin and Henrik Lundqvist split time in last night’s exhibition matchup in the final opportunity to make their case as the team’s playoff starter (Newsday)
• Larry Brooks notes that the Blueshirts dodged a bullet, as Marc Staal’s injury that forced him to leave the game was only a minor one (NY Post)
• Brooks also forsees some issues in the upcoming contract negotiations with Jesper Fast (NY Post)
• Matt Cosman believes that the Rangers provide a tall task for the Carolina Hurricanes to overcome in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers (The Hockey Writers)
• Steve Paulus writes that with their lone exhibition match in the rearview mirror, the Blueshirts will be all business moving forward (Blue Line Station)/

Around the NHL:

• After being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in November, Mike Babcock is set to join the NCAA’s Vermont Catamounts as a “volunteer advisor” for their men’s hockey team (Sportsnet)
• In spite of the league hosting its first best-of-five playoff series in 34 years, coaches and players around the league are ready to embrace another chance to win the Stanley Cup (NBC Sports)
• The Chicago Blackhawks announced that once fans return to the stands of NHL home games, headdresses will not be allowed in the United Center (TSN)/