DETROIT — At this point, the wins and losses are less important than the personnel moves coming in the lead-up to the Feb. 24 trade deadline.
So besides Henrik Lundqvist turning back the clock for his first shutout in just over two years, backstopping the Rangers to a 1-0 win over the Red Wings on Saturday night, the bigger news was Chris Kreider leaving the game just 1:42 into the second period after he took an inadvertent (but vicious) knee to the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad.
Kreider, 28, is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season and is arguably the best rental on the trade market.