GAME DAY: Golden Knights battle Rangers in Sunday matinee
NEW YORK — The Golden Knights continue their four-game eastern road trip when they meet the New York Rangers in a Sunday matinee at Madison Square Garden.
Opening faceoff is 9:30 a.m. Pacific time, and the game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
The Knights are looking to bounce back from a 5-4 overtime loss at New Jersey on Friday in which they blew a pair of three-goal leads.
Despite the loss, the Knights (18-14-2) have points in three straight games and currently own the second wild-spot in the Western Conference.
“Last game was definitely a slap in the face. You cannot give away a lead like that,” left wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “It’s fun that we get back out there quick and get two points today.”
Left wing Max Pacioretty was scratched from the game against the Devils for precautionary reasons with a minor injury and could return against the Rangers.
Coach Gerard Gallant declined to reveal details of his lineup during his media availability two hours before the opening faceoff and said he will no longer comment on lineups for injuries.
The game is the first of a back-to-back for the Knights, and a starting goaltender also has not been announced.
Marc-Andre Fleury started the past 12 games, compiling a 9-2-1 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
The Rangers (14-13-4) also squandered a 3-0 lead on Friday before losing to Arizona in overtime.
New York has been excellent at home with at least one point in 10 of its past 11 at the Garden (8-1-2).
Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers in scoring with 27 points in 31 games.
“They’re a fast team,” defenseman Nick Holden said. “Their coach has been asking them to play a high-tempo game, so that’s something we’ll have to make sure to try and control the play so they can’t develop their speed and get on us.”
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty-Paul Stastny-Alex Tuch
Tomas Nosek-Cody Eakin-Ryan Carpenter
William Carrier-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
Brayden McNabb-Nate Schmidt
Shea Theodore-Deryk Engelland
Nick Holden-Colin Miller
Goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
