Game #22: New York Rangers vs Nashville Predators Open Thread

After a pair of days off following their contest with a former Western Conference foe, the Rangers have hit the road for to clash with a current member of the Western Conference. The Blueshirts are in Nashville, Peter Laviolette’s old stomping grounds, to close out the season series with the Nashville Predators today. With the Rangers needing to get back home for tomorrow’s game, today’s game features an unusual 4:30 PM EST (3:30 PM local time) puck drop.

The Predators went into Madison Square Garden in October, handing the Rangers a resounding 4-1 defeat. That result dropped the Blueshirts to 2-2-0 at the time, and was the beginning of a strong run that has seen New York go 14-2-1 since the previous game against Nashville on October 19th. Nashville’s 11-10-0 record isn’t anything to write home about, but it enters tonight’s contest in the midst of a six game winning streak the Rangers will try and put an end to.

Player to Watch: Jonny Brodzinski

After initially appearing for a one game stint earlier this month, Brodzinski was once again recalled from AHL Hartford prior to Wednesday’s game against Detroit. With Kaapo Kakko’s injury one of the long term variety, Brodzinski should have yet another opportunity to carve out a role with the Rangers for the time being. Tonight will mark Brodzinski’s 47thgame as a Ranger, with those game split over parts of four different seasons dating back to the COVID-19 truncated 2021 campaign. Keep an eye on Brodzinski tonight as he looks to make the most of his limited minutes.

Enjoy the game!