Game #51: Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers Open Thread

Another night, another national television broadcast for the Rangers as they square off against Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tonight’s contest will be the Lightning’s first game back from the All-Star break, and the second for the Blueshirts following their overtime victory over Colorado on Monday.

In an unexpected turn, Jonathan Quick will be manning the crease for a third consecutive game. After starting the final game before the break and the first game after returning, Quick appears primed to take his usual spot backing up Igor Shesterkin, but Peter Laviolette revealed that it’ll be Quick getting another start tonight in order to give Shesterkin more practice time to work on things. Another strong performance out of Quick accompanied by a Rangers win could be the start of a goalie controversy, so it will be interesting to see how the action plays out tonight.

Player to Watch: Jacob Trouba

After sitting out the previous two games while serving a suspension for the 700 billionth flying elbow to an opponent’s head of his career, Trouba will be back in action tonight. Connor Mackey was sent down to AHL Hartford in the corresponding move to create a roster spot for Trouba’s return. Trouba will take his usual spot alongside K’Andre Miller tonight, so keep an eye on New York’s captain as he brings his trademark physicality back to the ice.

Enjoy the game!