Rangers Vs. Sabres Preview: Closing Out The Home Schedule On A High Note

The New York Rangers will close out the home portion of their schedule tonight as they take on the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden. Prior to the last game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Rangers clinched a spot in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs thanks to a 1-0 loss by the New Jersey Devils. Tonight, they have an opportunity to lock up the #2 seed in the Metropolitan Division under certain circumstances. First, the Rangers need to come away with any combination of two points tonight, accompanied with a Philadelphia Flyers regulation loss.

If both of those conditions pan out in the Rangers favor, they will be locked into their #2 spot heading into the post season, while the rest of the division battles it out for their spots. Tonight, they need to handle their business against the Sabres and come away with two points. Alain Vigneault will be keeping the lineup the same from last game, with Henrik Lundqvist expected to get the start.

You can find the full lineup information below.

VS.

Series tied 1-1
Buffalo Sabres (21-49-9) vs New York Rangers (44-31-5)
Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - 7:00 PM
Television: MSG, MSG-B, BELL TV |Â Radio: ESPN NY 98.7
Opponent's Blog: Die By The Blade

Projected Lineup:

Rick Nash - Derek Stepan - Martin St. Louis
Carl Hagelin - Brad Richards - Jesper Fast
Benoit Pouliot - Derick Brassard - Mats Zuccarello
Brian Boyle - Dominic Moore - Derek Dorsett

John Moore - Dan Girardi
Marc Staal - Anton Stralman
Kevin Klein - Raphael Diaz

Henrik Lundqvist
Cam Talbot

Scratches/Injuries: Justin Falk (healthy), Daniel Carcillo (healthy), Ryan Haggerty (healthy), Ryan McDonagh (shoulder), Chris Kreider (hand).