The Los Angeles Kings started the season with a six-game losing streak, but two impressive wins over the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders gave them hope of a turnaround. They followed that with a loss to the New Jersey Devils, but they still have a chance to go three for four on their Metropolitan Division trip.
The New York Rangers will look to spoil that, but it won’t be easy, as the loss of Igor Shesterkin is starting to catch up. After allowing 12 goals over their last two games, the Rangers turned to signing veteran James Reimer on Sunday, a great story for a goaltender on his ninth team, but it doesn’t inspire much confidence in Dylan Garand.
The Kings have scored just one goal in five of their past seven games, which is part of the reason why they have just two wins in their first nine. There were concerns about where the scoring would come from with the slower, veteran-heavy group, and it’s easy to see why when you watch them play against some of the league's faster teams.
Garand could get a fire lit under him for this matchup, with Reimer now threatening to steal some starts, and facing one of the league’s worst offenses couldn't have come at a better time. The Rangers won’t overwhelm the Kings with speed like some other teams, but they still might be too much for Los Angeles and a goalie tandem well below league average.
Kings vs Rangers prediction: Rangers ML (-140) available at the time of publishing. Playable to this number.
