Henrik Lundqvist will start in goal for the Rangers tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, his sixth start in a row. Due in part to the lockout-shortened season of 2012, however, he hasn’t faced the Red Wings since March 21, 2012.
Lundqvist stopped 26 shots en route to a 2-1 overtime win in that game. Still, Lundqvist is just 1-3-1 in his career against Detroit, with a pedestrian .902 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average, numbers that he will look to improve upon tonight at the Garden.
The Red Wings offense isn’t as potent as it was back in 2012. Detroit ranked sixth in the NHL in scoring then. The Red Wings are currently 20th, averaging just 2.5 goals per game.
Cam Talbot was between the pipes the last time the Rangers took on the Red Wings on Oct. 26, their only meeting this season. He turned away 32 shots and led the Blueshirts to a 3-2 overtime win at Joe Louis Arena.
Even with his great play this season, Talbot has found himself riding the pine more frequently as of late. This is in large part due to the stellar play of Lundqvist, who has three wins and seven points over his last five games. Talbot has only appeared in one game in 2014, a 7-1 win in Toronto.
According to the Post, Alain Vigneault is leaning toward starting Talbot over the weekend.
The Rangers play Saturday in Ottawa against the Senators and Sunday at home against the Washington Capitals.
The Rangers are currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division but trail the third place Philadelphia Flyers by only one point.
