Preview: Rangers Battle Red Wings on Ratelle Night

Rangers (27-30-5, 59 pts) vs. Red Wings (25-26-10, 60 pts)

7:30 pm; Madison Square Garden

MSG Network; ESPN 98.7 FM

The Rangers picked up points in both of the earlier games against the Red Wings this season, most recently in a shootout loss on Dec. 29 at Detroit.
Detroit topped the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, on Saturday night to leap over the Rangers in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Dylan Larkin leads the club with 36 assists and 45 points in 60 games, followed by Henrik Zetterberg's 42 points in 60 games.
Goaltender Jimmy Howard was victorious last night in Detroit, leaving open the possibility that Jared Coreau could make his first start of the season following the trade of Petr Marazek to Philadelphia last week.

Players to Watch

Chris Kreider made his long awaited return to the Rangers lineup on Friday against the Wild after surgery to remedy a blood clot in his arm sidelined him for 24 games. The winger has a point in six of his last seven games against the Red Wings, including two goals and five assists. For his career he has four goals and 10 points in 13 games against Detroit.
Zetterberg, now 37, is having another strong campaign with the only NHL franchise he's ever known. He has two points in his last three games.

Inside the Numbers

Ten of the last 18 contests between the Rangers and Red Wings, including nine of the last 15 games and six of the last nine games, have been decided in either overtime or a shootout.