The Rangers have completed 18 baseball-style series in which they have played consecutive games against opponents. They have swept only two of them, both against the Devils, one a two-game set in early March and the other the four-game series through the middle of this month.
If the Blueshirts want to back up their intentions of making the playoffs, they must add a third sweep to the résumé by knocking off the Sabres at the Garden on Tuesday after dispatching the team with the NHL’s worst-overall record on Sunday.
“Obviously the second game is always the hardest and our guys know that,” head coach David Quinn said following Monday’s practice. “I don’t want the schedule so much to dictate how we approach things and there are certainly some adjustments you can make from a tactical standpoint.
“But at the end of the day, as I touched on [after Sunday’s 6-3 victory], our game is all driven by how we balance our offensive skill and our commitment to playing smart hockey. One of the things we talked about is that these games with the Devils and Sabres are going to determine teams’ fates.
“Up to this point we have taken care of business and we understand [the next game] is going to be harder,” he said. “To me it’s way more about our approach and how we handle our skill with being smart and managing the situation. To me, that dictates our success.
The Rangers face Buffalo on Tuesday. AP“Our guys know the magnitude of the game where we’re at in the season.”
While the Rangers face the Sabres, the Bruins are in Pittsburgh to complete a two-game set with the Penguins after having lost the opener 1-0. The Blueshirts are four points behind the B’s, who have two games in hand with nine remaining on the schedule that includes two apiece against Buffalo and New Jersey.
The Blueshirts have gone 1-0-1 in seven series, 1-1 in six, 0-1-1 in two and 0-2 in one in Pittsburgh on March 7-9.
It is unclear whether Colin Blackwell, who stumbled awkwardly before hitting the back of his head against the corner boards with 2:31 remaining on Sunday, will be available on Tuesday. The coach believes so, though.
“He’ll be day-to-day,” Quinn said of the winger, who took a maintenance day in lieu of practicing. “Hopefully it was all sorted out [Sunday] and we anticipate he’ll be ready to go [Tuesday].”
Phil Di Giuseppe, who has not played since April 6, skated in Blackwell’s spot on the right side of the line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.
Jacob Trouba, sidelined for the last three games with a suspected concussion, skated on his own before practice. “He’s making progress,” said the coach. “We’ll know more [Tuesday] and see how he’s feeling.”
Igor Shesterkin is scheduled to get the start, which will be his 15th in 19 contests.
