New York Rangers Quick Bits: Henrik Lundqvist, Corey Locke, Lines, and Standings

It’s raining pretty hard out there, but luckily that won’t stop the Rangers from playing the Islanders tonight, which we’ll be live blogging ! Here are some quick bits to hold you over until the game starts:.

It would be an understatement to say that Henrik Lundqvist has been playing a lot lately. He got a day off yesterday, though, while the rest of the team practiced. He’s played in 12 of the last 13 Rangers games. But he’s not going to get any more days off, if this team is going to make the playoffs. Coach John Tortorella said , “We’re going to get in because of him.”

Looking at Corey Locke ’s stats from this season, he had 29 goals and 80 points in just 73 games, would make you think he could have a big impact on this team. The question is, will his numbers translate into the NHL? Teammate P.A. Parenteau seems to think so. “[Scoring is] what he does,” Parenteau said . “He’s not here for his defensive game ...He can definitely make a difference, I really believe so.”

Of course, John Tortorella wants to remind you that these guys are not here because he thinks it’ll be good for their development. They are here to help the Rangers win games. “This isn’t about development right now, this is about trying to win a hockey game,” Tortorella said. “If Corey Locke does some good things, he’s going to play. If there’s some struggles along the way, we have to make our call.”

Locke will be centering the second line with Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury . Thanks to Andrew Gross we know that none of the injured players, Ryan Callahan (left knee), Sean Avery (left knee), Brian Boyle (foot), are expected to play tonight. Enver Lisin and Matt Gilroy are also expected to be healthy scratches.

Here are the expected lines:

Brandon Dubinsky-Erik Christensen-Marian Gaborik

Vinny Prospal-Corey Locke-Chris Drury

Aaron Voros-Olli Jokinen-P.A. Parenteau

Jody Shelley-Artem Anisimov-Brandon Prust

Finally, here are the updated standings:

7. Philadelphia – 82 points – 38 wins – six games remaining
8. Boston – 80 points – 34 wins – seven games remaining
9. Atlanta – 78 points – 33 wins – six games remaining
10. Rangers – 76 points – 33 wins – seven games remaining
11. Tampa Bay – 72 points – 30 wins – six games remaining

Here are the standings for the bottom of the league:

23. Rangers – 76 points – 33 wins – seven games remaining
24. Columbus – 75 points – 31 wins – six games remaining
25. Carolina – 73 points – 32 wins – six games remaining
26. Islanders – 72 points – 31 wins – seven games remaining
27. Tampa Bay – 72 points – 30 wins – seven games remaining
28. Florida – 72 points – 30 wins – seven games remaining
29. Toronto – 69 points – 28 wins – six games remaining
30. Edmonton – 55 points – 24 wins – eight games remaining