[SBN Rangers blog - Blueshirt Banter]
Record: 29-27-7 (9th in East)
Scorers: Marian Gaborik (35g, 34a), Vinny Prospal (14g, 33a), Ollie Jokinen (13g, 27a)
The Penguins are 4-0-1 against the Rangers this season and will hopefully close things out tonight with another win, preferably in regulation. New York currently sit 9th in the East, easily one of those bubble teams vying for a spot in the top eight before season's end.
Since returning from the Olympic break I guess you could say the Rangers are off on the right skate with a 4-1 win over the Senators Tuesday night. All four goals came in the second period as Henrik Lundqvist backstopped a 24-save effort for the win.
Of course the Rangers aren't without some concern for fragile forward Marian Gaborik, who suffered an injury while playing for Slovakia just last week. He was a scratch for Tuesday's return to the regular season and, if the rumor of a groin injury holds true, I suspect he will remain out of the lineup tonight as well.
So perhaps we should turn our attention elsewhere tonight. Might I suggest Olli Jokinen? You may remember him scoring the game-winner back on February 12th. Jokinen's currently third on the team's scoring list with 40 points (13g, 27a).
I also have to admit I developed an all new appreciation for Ryan Callahan following these past Olympics. While I might utterly despise his team, I definitely think he put in a solid effort for Team USA and I can't knock the guy for that.
Puck drops tonight at 7:00. Stop on by for the game thread.