Game #28: Anaheim Ducks vs New York Rangers Open Thread

The Rangers are back in action and in desperate need of a bounce back win tonight. After a 7-3 drubbing at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs their last time on the ice, the Blueshirts will look to get back on the right track against the lowly Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks enter tonight’s game as one of the NHL’s worst teams. After a surprisingly strong 9-6-0 start to the season in a year many expected the Ducks to be among the dregs of the NHL, the last month has been more along the lines of what pundits predicted them to be. Anaheim currently finds itself mired in a 1-12-0 stretch dating back to November 15th, with the single victory coming via the shootout. Peter Laviolette’s squad has had its moments struggling with sub-par teams in the early goings of the 2023-24 campaign, but anything less than a dominant victory tonight is likely to set off alarm bells, and justifiably so.

Player to Watch: Chris Kreider

As with most high level goal scorers, Kreider’s goals tend to come in bunches. The goals have not been coming as of late, as Kreider has been held scoreless in five consecutive games, and seven of the last eight. Those eight games coincide with what has been the beginning of New York’s rough patch, so Kreider going on a hot streak could get the Rangers back in the right direction. Between the play on the ice out of the Ducks and the Blueshirts donning their new alternate uniforms once again, there’s going to be a lot of ugly on the ice tonight, so keep an eye on Kreider as the Rangers try to get back in the win column.

Enjoy the game!