After taking a hit from Max Pacioretty that somehow resulted in no supplementary discipline, Ryan McDonagh is set to sit out his first game tonight with a suspected concussion.
In my eyes, and I'll leave it at this statement, Pacioretty sought revenge on McD after he was "driven" into the boards from behind in front of the Montreal bench. The hit by McD was a hockey play and not malicious at all; the complete opposite of the hit on McD.
Anyways, as the Rangers prepare themselves to be without McD for possibly more than just one game, it is important to understand how important McD has been to the Rangers since his first season in the big leagues. He has been the most consistent on the Rangers, other than Henrik Lundqvist, and I would even say he has been the best player, other than Lundqvist ofcourse.
Both Girardi and Staal are the other cores on defense but McD is the most skilled out of all three. Having said that, it will be important for Girardi and Staal to carry the Rangers D. Especially, Staal, whose place as Girardi's partner was taken last season. Now is his chance to regain his status as the best Rangers defensemen.
Losing McD for any amount of time is critical to the Rangers, but when you see teams like Ottawa losing their top 2 players (on offense and defense) and still winning, you ask yourself "Why can't the Rangers do the same?" They lost their top D and top forward in Nash so the similarities are obvious. What also works in the Rangers favor is that they presumably have more skill than the Senators which might mean that if the Rangers find a way to win without their top 2 guys, imagine how things can pan out when they do finally return.
An important couple of games are coming up for the Rangers and its even more important that they find a way to get points.
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