Bantering Points: 2/5/17

It's the day we've all been waiting for. That once per year, monumental game that etches nobodies into team lore for all eternity. That's because today, for the first time since 2015, the Calgary Flames are coming into Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers. Apparently there's also a football game on later today too, so I guess that explains the unusual 2:00 PM starting time. Anyway, here are today's news and links:

Rangers News:

• Justin Tasch heard from Marc Staal as the alternate captain discussed being cautious with his concussion history, and life after hockey (NY Daily News)
• Brett Cyrgalis sees New York's upcoming home stand as a chance to turn their season around (NY Post)
• Steve Zipay questions who will be the odd man out of the lineup once Kevin Hayes returns to action (Newsday)
• Game Preview: The Rangers will look to turn things around on home ice while putting a dent in Calgary's playoff hopes (CBS)
• Jess Rubenstein provides another prospect update, with bits on Ty Ronning, Sergei Zborovskiy, and more (Blueshirt Bulletin)
• Dave Shapiro passes along a rumor that New York has been heavily scouting the Los Angeles Kings organization (Blue Seat Blogs)
• John Williams thinks that Brady Skjei is blossoming into a top pairing defenseman (Blue Line Station)
• Timothy Haggerty offers his opinion on how the Rangers should change up their leadership group (Blue Line Station)
• Daniel Nugent-Bowman believes that New York's scoring depth is enough to establish the team as a powerful playoff contender in the Eastern Conference (The Hockey News)
• Matt Calamia caught up with former Ranger Tie Domi to discuss his time in New York, life in retirement, and more (Official Team Site)
• Post Practice Interview: Alain Vigneault (4:18) (Official Team Site)/

Around the NHL:

• Josh Cooper saw that last night's meeting between the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens was delayed for twelve minutes after a hole was discovered in the boards at the Bell Centre (Puck Daddy)
• Mike Johnston reports that former Florida Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant has the "inside track" to become the first head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights (Sportsnet)
• Adam Gretz recaps the Los Angeles Kings' 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, where goaltender Peter Budaj notched his league leading seventh shutout while staring in place of two time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick (NBC Sports)
• Mark Harris details yesterday's busy day for the Nashville Predators, as they activated defenseman Roman Josi from injured reserve, demoted forward Mike Ribeiro to the AHL, and acquired forward Vernon Fiddler from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2017 4th Round Pick (On The Forecheck)/

Do you know who the Ranger in the picture is?