NHL Game of the Week: Rangers vs. Red Wings

The quarter mark of the NHL season is here and what better way to celebrate than with a Wednesday night, original six matchup between two beasts of the East.

While the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings may seem to be at very different places in terms of roster construction and season outlook, they have a lot more ties than one might expect.

In terms of Detroit, their alternate captain Andrew Copp was donning the red, white and blue during the Rangers' miraculous run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022.

However, an even bigger addition was just made by the Red Wings as they finally put an end to the mystery that was Patrick Kane’s tenure as a free agent.

Kane will most likely be sidelined for this matchup, so he will have to wait for his shot at revenge against his former club, but this signing indicates the belief that executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman has in this year’s group and their chances at a playoff spot.

Detroit currently holds the third seed in the Atlantic Division and, while it’s still early, are on track to make the postseason for the first time since 2016 as they ride into this matchup on a three-game win streak.

On the other end, the Rangers have solidified themselves as a true cup contender over the course of the past 2 seasons and now seem to have reached a whole new level.

Under newly hired head coach Peter Laviolette, the Blueshirts are playing arguably their best hockey since they took home the Presidents’ Trophy in the 2014-2015 season.

New York sits atop the Metropolitan division and is tied for the most points in the league as a whole with 31 in just 20 games played, giving them an NHL-high .775 win percentage.

Even with all of this success so far, the Rangers could be getting another boost with the return of defenseman Adam Fox.

The former Norris Trophy winner has been on long-term injured reserve since suffering a knee injury against the Carolina Hurricanes back on Nov. 2, but he was listed as a full participant at Monday’s morning skate.

In their last contest earlier this month, New York jumped out to a 5-0 lead after an incredible second period where they netted four goals.

The Red Wings fought back in the third with three scores to make it an interesting finish, but the Rangers still came out on top.

With the Blueshirts coming off a disappointing 5-1 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres on Monday and Detroit carrying a ton of momentum, this game is bound to produce just as many fireworks as the previous one.

Jakob Schnur is a fourth year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu.