Vitali Kravtsov takes a few shots on net during the fourth day of Rangers looking at prospects on June 27, 2019. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The forward lines at the Rangers’ practice on Wednesday looked almost exactly as they did for the team’s opening night game against the Islanders, way back in mid-January. The top three lines were as they were that night, and the fourth line was two-thirds what it was, with Colin Blackwell occupying the spot of Brett Howden, currently unavailable while on the team’s COVID-19 list.
So, as the Rangers visited the Flyers Thursday for the opener of a three-game road trip, it was almost as though, after 31 games, and a record of 14-13-4, the team had hit the reset button, and gone back to Square One.