Game #37: Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Rangers Open Thread

After getting trounced by the Carolina Hurricanes to ring in the new year two nights ago, the Blueshirts are back in action tonight against a team that shouldn’t give them quite as much trouble. It’ll be an Original Six battle at Madison Square Garden tonight as the Rangers welcome Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, and the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks into town.

Pundits throughout the hockey world had Chicago pegged as a team that, outside of superstar rookie Connor Bedard, would struggle to hang with the rest of the league due to a massive dearth in talent throughout the roster. Those pundits have been proven correct thus far. The Blackhawks enter play tonight as the 31st ranked team in the league, both by standings points and goal differential, ahead of only David Quinn’s embarrassingly San Jose Sharks squad. Tonight has everything the Rangers could ask for in a get right game, and Bedard won’t be the only rookie the fans in attendance will be amped up to see.

Player to Watch: Brennan Othmann

Othmann was recalled from AHL Hartford due to an injury to Tyler Pitlick yesterday, and is set to make his NHL debut tonight. The 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Othmann lasted deeper into training camp than most expected he would given the composition of New York’s roster, and was among the final cuts before the regular season began. Othmann has had a strong overall season in the minors thus far, posting a 9-14-23 stat line in 28 games, but hasn’t found the back of the net in his last nine games. In spite of the goal scoring drought, the Rangers opted to call him up, so keep an eye on Othmann as he becomes the first player in franchise history to don #78 and make his NHL debut.

Enjoy the game!