Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Highlights: NYR 5, WSH 3 (4:55 video via NHL.com)
• Game Recap: The friendly confines of Madison Square Garden proved to be a help to the Blueshirts as they picked up a crucial victory in the opener to this five game homestand (CBS)
• Mollie Walker chatted with Benoit Allaire about the role he’s played in keeping Igor Shetserkin up to task mentally as the superstar goaltender has fought through ups and downs throughout the season (NY Post)
• Larry Brooks cites last night’s victory as a building block the Rangers can improve upon as they continue gearing up for the playoffs (NY Post)
• Colin Stephenson notes that yesterday’s contest was the eight consecutive one the Blueshirts have had to play without Ryan Lindgren in the lineup (Newsday)
• Vincent Mercogliano offers his takeaways from last night’s victory over Washington (LoHud)/

Around the NHL:

• Carolina Hurricanes’ forward Andrei Svechnikov will miss the remainder of the season and playoffs due to a knee injury (NBC Sports)
• The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to a three year, entry level contract with defenseman Wyatt Kaiser (TSN)/