7PM: Jaro Halak is now starting instead of Shesterkin. Shesterkin is on the bench. (TNT)
2:05 PM: Gerard Gallant spoke this morning and said the following about the lines and lineup:
- On Vesey on the top line, “we put him everywhere, but a lot of guys. I’m not going to specifically point out Vesey because there is Rydahl and all those guys battling for those spots. He’s one of them, played in different situations and we want to give our guys a look. We are trying to fill out rosters to make sense for opening night. These exhibition games, you’d like to play well and you get more of your team into them, but again, I’m not putting too much into the lines or lineup right now.”
- Is just playing it safe with Lindgren, “Playing it real safe. They haven’t told me nothing, day to day. Could he skate today? Yes, but he’s not. Will he play the next exhibition game? We’ll see in two days, we’re not concerned.”
- On the spot next to Kreider and Zibanejad, “honestly, it’s no different than Kravy playing with those guys right now. We’re gonna see what shakes out. At the end of the day, after the last exhibition game we are going to sit down and have hard conversations about where we think the best guy will fit on each line. Maybe we’ll break up the third line, The Kid Line and spot somebody up there. Honestly, we’re not 100% sure yet, we have a good feeling, but we’re gonna wait and see and see how things shake out and hopefully nobody gets hurt and we’ll put our lines together. People are getting opportunities and some of the common guys will fit that spot.”
- Is the goal to make the top-six work without touching The Kid Line, “I wouldn’t say it’s the goal, I wouldn’t say that at all. If I don’t put The Kid Line together you guys would be all over me the next day in the papers (laugh). I like The Kid Line, they played well together, we want to give them an opportunity and, again, we’re doing what is best for our team and if that is what is best for our team then that is what we’ll try and go with. You’ve seen what I did last year, we put guys in different spots, Hunt played all over the lineup, that type of player, that is what we’re looking for.”
- Do you think you’ve seen enough different line combos, “I can’t wait till I see the regular combinations and they are going well and things are working well, but it gives you lots of options, the players we’ve got give you lots of options as a coach. When I sit down with Dru and his staff you’re looking at a guy like Rydahl, who we don’t know very well, and some guys that have come in here and they play pretty well and you’ve got tough decisions to make and that is a good thing to have, but it’s also, as a coach, you are happy with how the things went last year and we had a good group of guys and you’re trying to get better every year and they are making it tough and as an organization that is what you’re happy with.”
- Will Igor get the whole game tonight, “I think so, I’ll talk to Benny, but that was the plan two days ago…things could change.”
10:50AM: Ryan Lindgren will not play tonight against the Bruins because of a lower-body injury that the Rangers say is day to day. (Staple)
The lines being used this morning are (Stephenson, Staple):
- Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey
- Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Vtiali Kravtsov
- Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kaako
- Sammy Blais, Gustav Rydahl, Barclay Goodrow
- K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba
- Zac Jones, Braden Schneider
- Libor Hajek, Matt Bartkowski