Rangers vs. Blues: Too Little Too Late
I just can't believe that healthy scratching Kaapo Kakko wasn't the answer!
- If you don't listen to the podcast (which you should!) then you might not know that I live in Michigan. So I stream the games on ESPN+. When I fired up tonight's game the Rangers feed was giving us... the Knicks broadcast. Not even MSG wanted people to watch the Rangers. And, frankly, who could blame them?
- Let's start with the pre-game shenanigans: Artemi Panarin is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Here's the lineup Laviolette iced:
#NYR warmup lines vs. #STLBlues:
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) December 15, 2024
Cuylle-Chytil-Lafrenière
Brodzinski-Trocheck-Smith
Berard-Zibanejad-Vesey
Edström-Carrick-Kreider
Lindgren-Fox
Jones-Schneider
Mackey-Ruhwedel
Quick
Shesterkin
- That means there were two healthy scratches. First, Chad Ruhwedel comes in for Victor Mancini. I like Mancini overall, but he's young, he lacks experience, and he's been exposed some recently. In a better, more normal world he'd be eating big minutes in Hartford right now because the Rangers wouldn't need him pressed into duty. But things aren't normal, as you might have noticed. And, if we're being honest, he hasn't been great. He looks, well, young and inexperienced. So, this personnel swap? Fine. Whatever.
- It does, however, raise the question: Why Mancini and not Lindgren? Lindgren has been atrocious, including a misplay that led immediately to a Blues goal tonight. While I don't think it's directly causal in the way some people are suggesting, the Rangers downfall started when he returned (far too early) from his preseason injury. Mancini might have a future on this team. Lindgren doesn't. It's just a question of when.
