Rangers at Golden Knights preview

RANGERS (14-11-3) at GOLDEN KNIGHTS (15-11-5)
7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, ATTSN-RM, MSG, NHL.TV

The goalie had been on a leave of absence from the Golden Knights since Nov. 26 and would make his first start since Nov. 23, a span of six games.
The Golden Knights are on a five-game point streak (4-0-1) after losing eight of their previous 10 (2-6-2). They defeated New York 4-1 at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
The Rangers have won five of their past eight (5-2-1) and are on a four-game road point streak (3-0-1). Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start for New York, which begins a four-game road trip.

Players to watch

Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba has five points (one goal, four assists) in the past five games.
Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch has seven points (four goals, three assists) during a season-long four-game point streak. He is two points from 100 in the NHL.

They said it

"It's a funny game sometimes. I thought we deserved better. It's one of those things where we play again [Sunday], we've just got to grow from it, learn from it, and move on." -- Rangers defenseman Marc Staal on New York's 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday
"It was a hard week. When you go back on the ice, it changes your mind. You try to enjoy the game, be in the moment a bit. … We have such a great bunch of guys. They've been so supportive and positive around me and keep me smiling and stuff. Very thankful for that." -- Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

Rangers projected lineup

Brendan Lemieux -- Mika Zibanejad -- Kaapo Kakko
Artemi Panarin -- Ryan Strome -- Chris Kreider
Jesper Fast -- Filip Chytil -- Pavel Buchnevich
Greg McKegg -- Brett Howden -- Brendan Smith
Brady Skjei -- Jacob Trouba
Marc Staal -- Tony DeAngelo
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
Henrik Lundqvist
Alexandar Georgiev
Scratched: Micheal Haley
Injured: Libor Hajek (knee)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty -- Paul Stastny -- Mark Stone
Chandler Stephenson -- Cody Glass -- Alex Tuch
William Carrier -- Tomas Nosek -- Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Nicolas Hague -- Shea Theodore
Jon Merrill -- Deryk Engelland
Marc-Andre Fleury
Malcolm Subban
Scratched: Nick Holden
Injured: Cody Eakin (upper body)

Status report

Neither team held a morning skate. … Stephenson, who was acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Dec. 2, moved to third-line left wing at practice on Saturday. Carrier moved back to his usual fourth-line left-wing role.

Stat pack

Lemieux is expected to play his 100th game in the NHL. … Zibanejad has four points (one goal, three assists) in the past four games. … Marchessault has six points (four goals, two assists) during a four-game point streak and is one goal from 100 in the NHL.