Chris Kreider Will Make NHL Debut In Game 3 Tonight

It's now being reported that Chris Kreider will be in the lineup for the Rangers tonight in place of Carl Hagelin (suspension).

Very, very weird situation. Within the last half hour everybody was reporting that John Scott would make his return to the lineup, and literally seconds before the end of the Rangers pregame show on MSG Al Trautwig said that Kreider is in. Perhaps some mind games from John Tortorella?

Rangers Get Set For Game 3 In Ottawa, Alfredsson A Game-Time Decision

The news from practice today is that apparently Daniel Alfredsson has turned into Wolverine from the X-Men and has developed supernatural healing powers. That's the only way to explain how the Senators' team captain skated through a full practice this morning and will officially be a game-time decision tonight after supposedly suffering a concussion for the second time this season against the Rangers on Saturday night.

The Senators are still sticking to their original story that Alfredsson did in fact suffer a concussion in Game 2 and based a base-line test yesterday, but I personally don't believe it for one second.

Click below to read more news and notes on Alfredsson possibly playing tonight, along with who the Rangers might will dress in Carl Hagelin's place.

Rangers Defeat Senators 4-2, Lead Series 1-0

One down, 15 to go. The Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators by a score of 4-2 tonight to take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and were led in large part thanks to the efforts of Henrik Lundqvist, who made 30 saves, and Ryan Callahan, who had a goal and a game-high seven hits on the night.

Despite the Rangers heading into the first intermission up 1-0 after Ryan Callahan opened the scoring at 12:01 in the first period, they never really controlled the flow of the game until midway through the second period. The Rangers were out-shot 13-8 in the first period, and the game very well could've taken a turn for the worse if not for Henrik Lundqvist's brilliance in net yet again and a game that proved why Ryan Callahan is the captain of this hockey team.

Click below to read more notes and my thoughts on tonight's game.

Chris Kreider Practices With Rangers, Status For Tomorrow Night Uncertain

Chris Kreider getting his new Rangers jersey made at practice today. (Photo Credit: New York Rangers)

Chris Kreider is officially a New York Ranger. The team introduced Kreider to the New York media today following the team's practice, where Kreider practiced as the fourth forward rotating in and out on a line with Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko. Kreider, who will wear No. 20 with the Rangers, said he fully understands Coach John Tortorella's mantra that you have to earn your playing time if you want to be in the lineup.

 “They definitely sent the message if you want to play you’re going to have to prove you’re ready to play and you’re going to have to earn your ice time, which is the way I think it should be,” Kreider said. “No expectations coming in, I’m just going to try to be a sponge.”

Andrew Gross (Rangers Beat Writer)

Also of note: just by practicing today, the first year of Kreider's three-year Entry Level deal was burned off. He's now signed from this point forward through the 2013-2014 season.

Click below to read more on Kreider's first day as a New York Ranger.

Reports: Chris Kreider Agrees To 3-Year Entry Level Deal With Rangers

Multiple media outlets, including the always reliable Bob McKenzie of TSN, are reporting that the Rangers have signed their 2009 first round draft pick, Chris Kreider, to a three-year Entry Level contract. The Rangers have not officially confirmed the deal yet, but Larry Brooks of the New York Post says that Kreider will report to the Rangers tomorrow to sign his contract, which will then make the deal official.

Larry Brooks reports that Kreider's deal will be worth $1.3 million per season. According to Bob McKenzie, he'll get no signing bonus for this season or have a salary for the playoffs, but will get bonuses for the remainder of the playoffs for games that he plays in.

Click below to read more on the Rangers signing Kreider.

Rangers vs. Flyers Tonight At 7 p.m.

The Rangers are back at it tonight against the Flyers, and will once again look to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division. The Rangers need just one point or a Penguins loss to do so. The Rangers will look to sweep the season series against the Flyers tonight and move to 6-0-0 against them on the season.

Same lineups for the Rangers tonight as Sunday against the Bruins, meaning Henrik Lundqvist will start his tenth straight game. As I said on Sunday, I think the only way the Rangers will play Marty Biron again this season is if the Rangers clinch everything before the last game of the season against Washington.

There has been a ton of fighting in the Rangers-Flyers series this season, so I wouldn't be surprised to see players on both teams drop the gloves early to try and set a tone for the game. It's interesting to note that Jody Shelley is in the lineup for the Flyers and will play against the Rangers for the first time since December. If you don't remember, Shelley and Brandon Dubinsky took several verbal jabs at each other on 24/7 leading up to the Winter Classic.

For the Flyers, Ilya Bryzgalov will start in goal after missing the last three games with an injured foot. Bryzgalov went 10-2-1 with a 1.43 GAA in the month of March, but he's 0-2 with a 4.11 GAA against the Rangers this season. Danny Briere, who was injured in the Flyers' Sunday afternoon game against the Penguins, will miss the game and is out indefinitely with a back injury.

Also, a reminder that the game is on MSG2 tonight. The Knicks are on MSG and the Devils are on MSG+.

Rangers Can Clinch No. 1 Seed In Eastern Conference Tonight

With the Penguins' 6-4 loss this afternoon to the Flyers, the Rangers need just one more point to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, and they'll look to lock it up in tonight's game against the Boston Bruins. Even though the Rangers technically can clinch with an overtime or shootout loss tonight, it would still be a much more satisfying feeling to get the win and clinch over the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Even though it's now pretty much just a matter of when, not "if," the Rangers will lock up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, I don't think for one second that John Tortorella will let this team take the rest of the regular season off. You might see guys like Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust get a couple of games off to help heal some of their nagging injuries that have plagued them all season long, and I'm sure Henrik Lundqvist will get at least one more game off down the stretch, but that's about it. Torts is not going to let this team get lazy and stop playing hard the way they have all season long.

The Rangers will roll with the same lineup tonight, meaning Henrik Lundqvist will start his ninth straight game and John Scott, Jeff Woywitka and Steve Eminger will be the scratches.