Vaakanainen (lower body) is available to be in the lineup versus the Islanders on Saturday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
Vaakanainen has missed two straight games. The 26-year-old's not guaranteed to be in the lineup, but if he returns to action, he'll likely be on the third pairing in place of Matthew Robertson.
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Rangers' Connor Mackey: Returned to AHL
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Mackey was loaned to AHL Hartford on Saturday.
Mackey was a healthy scratch in two straight games during his latest stint in the NHL. He hasn't played in any games with the Rangers this season, but he has two assists in nine AHL outings this year. Mackey's demotion may bode well for the availability of Urho Vaakanainen (lower body) ahead of Saturday's matchup against the Islanders.
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Rangers' Noah Laba: Scores in Friday's win
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Laba scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Laba's second-period tally was the game-winner. He's scored three times over the last six contests as he continues to settle into a middle-six role for the Rangers as a 22-year-old rookie. In total, he's racked up five points, 16 shots on net, 13 blocked shots, 11 hits and a plus-3 rating across 15 appearances.
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Rangers' Will Cuylle: Nets PP goal
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Cuylle scored a power-play goal in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Cuylle opened the scoring with a wrister at the 6:46 mark of the first period. The 23-year-old has been one of the most productive players for the Rangers lately, which has been significant since star players such as Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad have posted underwhelming numbers to start the season. Cuylle has cracked the scoresheet in all but one of the Rangers' last six games while tallying six points (two goals, four helpers) in that span.
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Rangers' Mika Zibanejad: Snaps drought with two assists
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Zibanejad delivered two assists, including one on the power play, in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Zibanejad set up the Rangers' opening goal at the 6:46 mark of the first period, courtesy of Will Cuylle on the power play, and he later participated in Artemi Panarin's third-period tally. This two-assist performance ended Zibanejad's three-game pointless drought, but he continues to underperform. The 32-year-old forward recorded only one point in his first six appearances of the season and is up to eight points (four goals, four helpers) in 15 games thus far.
Lafreniere recorded a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Lafreniere scored a goal for the first time since the Oct. 9 win over the Sabres. Even though this was the fifth time he cracked the scoresheet in the Rangers' last seven games, it was just the second time he delivered a multi-point effort. Lafreniere is one of several Rangers players who have been struggling on offense. Despite holding a top-six role in the lineup and being part of the second power-play unit, the 24-year-old has only accrued an underwhelming eight points (two goals, six helpers) in 15 games.
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Rangers' Artemi Panarin: Three points versus Detroit
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Panarin recorded a goal and two assists, including one on the power play, in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Panarin ended his six-game point drought in style by having a hand in three of the Rangers' four goals. He is off to a sluggish start this campaign, notching only three goals and 10 points through 15 outings. He'll need to turn things around quickly if he wants to surpass the 85-point plateau for a fifth straight campaign, but more efforts like Friday will help get him back on track in a hurry.
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Rangers' Jonathan Quick: Continues excellent play
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Quick stopped 32 of 33 shots in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Quick has won his last three starts and has also allowed one goal or fewer in three of four appearances. He owns an excellent .950 save percentage in his four appearances. Quick can be utilized in spot starts or as a matchup-based alternative, but he won't see much action this season behind Igor Shesterkin.
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Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Facing Islanders
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Shesterkin will be between the home pipes versus the Islanders on Saturday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.
Despite a 4-5-2 record, Shesterkin has played great this season, as evidenced by his 2.26 GAA and .915 save percentage. Shesterkin was a perfect 4-0-0 against the Islanders last season, allowing only five goals on 141 shots. The Islanders are generating 3.21 goals per game this season, 13th in the NHL.
Rangers' Nathan Aspinall: Earns three points in Flint's win
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Aspinall scored a goal and added two assists in OHL Flint's 9-3 win over North Bay on Friday.
Over eight games since Aspinall signed his entry-level deal with the Rangers, he has two goals and seven assists. The 19-year-old winger has a total of eight goals and 19 points through 14 appearances, which is a strong start considering he was limited to 47 points in 62 regular-season outings a year ago. Aspinall was a fifth-round pick in 2024, so he will need continued development time before potentially making an impact with the Rangers.
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Rangers' Jonathan Quick: Slated to start Friday
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Quick is expected to guard the visiting crease in Detroit on Friday, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
Quick has had only three starts this season and is coming off his best effort, shutting out the Canucks on Oct. 28. He is 2-1-0, stopping 64 of 68 shots in 2025-26. The Red Wings are 9-5-0, but they are managing only 3.00 goals per game.
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Rangers' Urho Vaakanainen: Not playing against Wings
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Vaakanainen (lower body) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Friday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.
Vaakanainen will miss his second straight game due to his lower-body issue. When healthy, the 26-year-old blueliner has managed just one point in 10 outings, so few fantasy managers figure to be impacted by his continued absence. In the meantime, Matthew Robertson will feature on the third pair with Braden Schneider.
Vaakanainen (lower body) made the trip with the team ahead of Friday's road clash with Detroit, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
Vaakanainen might be ready to return following a one-game absence due to his lower-body issue but hasn't been confirmed in the lineup. This year, the 26-year-old blueliner has managed just one point in 10 outings and has never hit the 20-point threshold in his career. As such, fantasy managers can probably pursue other options even when Vaakanainen is healthy.
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Rangers' Vincent Trocheck: Practicing in non-contact jersey
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Trocheck (upper body) is practicing in a non-contact jersey Thursday, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.
Trocheck is on long-term injured reserve, but he is eligible to return at any time. He is not yet ready, as he is still not allowed any contact at practice. The 32-year-old had an assist in two games before his injury after accumulating 26 goals and 33 assists in 82 regular-season games for the Rangers in 2024-25.
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Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Gets no help in Tuesday's loss
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Shesterkin stopped 29 of 31 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes, with Carolina's final goal getting scored into an empty net.
It was another strong effort from Shesterkin that went unrewarded due to the Rangers' offensive struggles. The 29-year-old netminder has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of 11 starts to begin the season en route to a 2.26 GAA and .915 save percentage, but he's just 3-4-1 in those outings.
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