Rangers at Red Wings
Star forward Rick Nash is on track to make his much-anticipated return to the starting lineup when the New York Rangers pay a visit to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon. Nash, who has been sidelined for the past 20 games due to a bone bruise in his left leg, went through a full practice Friday and coach Alain Vigneault said there's a "very good chance" he will play Saturday.
Nash won't be the only key player returning for the Rangers, who hold a two-point edge over the New York Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Starting netminder Henrik Lundqvist will be back in net after sitting out three games due to neck spasms while defenseman Marc Staal (back spasms) is expected to return after missing the past two games. The Red Wings snapped a three-game skid with a 3-2 victory over Winnipeg on Thursday and trail Pittsburgh by one point for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. Detroit has dominated New York at home, posting a 12-1-1 mark in the last 14 games at Joe Louis Arena.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE RANGERS (39-22-6): Nash, a 42-goal scorer last season, has not played since he was injured while blocking a shot versus Carolina on Jan. 22 but was cleared for contact Friday. "It's exciting to see Nasher back," said Lundqvist, who posted his third shutout during a personal five-game winning streak versus Detroit with a 1-0 overtime victory on Feb. 21. "The whole team is happy to see him out there." The return of Nash, who has 12 goals in 45 games this season, comes at an opportune time because leading goal scorer Derick Brassard is battling the flu and is questionable.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (33-23-11): Dylan Larkin picked the right time to end a seven-game point drought, becoming the first Detroit rookie to score 20 goals since Henrik Zetterberg in 2002-03 - with the milestone tally coming on an assist from Zetterberg that ended the captain's eight-game point drought. "It's pretty cool," Larkin said. "It was a goal of mine coming into the year. But for me it's what's next and maybe 25, so there's always more. I want that for myself and for our team to be successful." Goaltender Petr Mrazek is expected to make his first start versus the Rangers.
OVERTIME
1. The Rangers have a daunting schedule upcoming with a home matchup versus Pittsburgh on Sunday followed by a three-game California road trip.
2. Detroit allowed two power-play tallies in three straight games before killing off all four chances by Winnipeg.
3. The Rangers have scored a power-play goal in three consecutive games.