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With the postponement of their Saturday afternoon game in Ottawa due to the Senators’ COVID-19 outbreak, the Rangers travel home for a stretch of five games in which they will play three in New York, one in Boston and another in Philadelphia.
It is still unclear when the Rangers’ game against the Senators will be rescheduled, but as of now, they won’t travel back to Canada until March.
The upcoming opponents — the Sabres, Islanders, Bruins and Flyers — are all teams the Rangers played eight times each last season in the East Division, which was created amid the NHL’s restructure because of the coronavirus pandemic. Before this stretch, a majority of the Rangers’ opposition were teams they hadn’t squared off against since the 2019-20 season.
Just two games, the season-opening loss against the Capitals and the 4-3 shootout win over the Devils, were against familiar teams.
On Sunday, the Rangers will play host to the Sabres at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers went 6-2 against Buffalo last season, outscoring them 27-15. The Blueshirts will then venture out to Long Island to play their first ever game at the Islanders’ brand new UBS Arena on Wednesday before facing the Isles again on Sunday at home.
In between the games against the Islanders, the Rangers are scheduled to travel to Boston for the first time since winning two preseason bouts against the Bruins. To wrap up the local stretch of games, the Rangers face the Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 1.
The Rangers and Northwell Health will play host to their annual Hockey Fights Cancer game on Sunday against the Sabres.
Players will wear custom Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys during warm-ups and have special tape on their sticks. According to a press release, the Rangers are set to wear a HFC patch on their practice jerseys this week. The custom jerseys and sticks will be signed and auctioned off, along with the patches, with the proceeds going to the Northwell Health Foundation and Garden of Dream Foundation.
Additionally, the Rangers coaching staff and MSG network personalities will wear HFC ties and pins. Fans will also have the opportunity to pick up a “I Fight For” placard throughout the Madison Square Garden concourses.
Kaapo Kakko’s secondary assist on Dryden Hunt’s first goal as a Ranger in the 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday marked the Finnish winger’s third straight game with a point. He is now one game shy of tying his career-long point streak set from April 6-11 last season.
Thursday’s game in Toronto counted as Filip Chytil’s 200th career NHL game, all of which have come with the Rangers. The 22-year-old center became the 96th Czech Republic-born skater to record 200 NHL games.
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