NHL: What You Need to Know for Tomorrow's Rangers vs Islanders Matchup

Tomorrow night the New York Rangers will square off against the New York Islanders. This is the first time the New York state rivals will square off this season. Here are some things you will need to know about tomorrow's game.

This section is a version of the game day notes that you would receive in the official game day program. 

Statistics and Logistics

New York Rangers (A) at New York Islanders (H)

Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum—Uniondale,NY

Time: 7:00 PM EST

TV: MSG (HD)

Projected Starting Lineups

New York Rangers:

Derek Stepan | Brad Richards (A) | Marián Gáborík
Brandon Dubinksy | Artem Anisimov | Ryan Callahan (C)
Ruslan Fedotenko | Brian Boyle | Brandon Prust
Mike Rupp | Erik Christensen | Mats Zuccarello

Ryan McDonagh | Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto | Steve Eminger
Tim Erixon | Jeff Woywitka

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

Injuries:

Wojtek Wolski DTD—sore groin; game day decision

Michael Sauer DTD—shoulder

Marc Staal IR—post-concussion symptoms

New York Islanders

Matt Moulson | John Tavares (A) | P.A. Parenteau
Michael Grabner | Frans Nielsen | Kyle Okposo (A)
Blake Comeau | Josh Bailey | Brian Rolston (A)
Matt Martin | Marty Reasoner | Jay Pandolfo

Mark Streit (C) | Steve Staios (A)
Andrew MacDonald | Travis Hamonic
Mike Mottau | Mark Eaton

Al Montoya
Evgeni Nabokov

Injuries:

Rick DiPietro DTD—head injury; no timetable

Milan Jurcina DTD—groin; no timetable

Nino Niederreiter DTD—groin 

*subject to change

Inside the Goal Crease

Al Montoya, former Rangers draft pick, will look to continue his brilliant play against his former club. He is currently 2-1-0 with a .953 save percentage and a 1.35 GAA.

Henrik Lundqvist is 0-0-2 with a .931 SP and a 1.86 GAA.

Team Leaders

Rangers:

Goals: Brad Richards, Marián Gáborík, Ryan Callahan (1)
Assists: Brandon Dubinsky, Brad Richards, Artem Anisimov, Ruslan Fedotenko, Ryan McDonagh (1)
Points: Brad Richards (2)

Brad Richards has gotten off to a great start in his first two games as a Ranger. He scored a clutch goal against Anaheim that allowed the Rangers to steal a point. He also assisted on a late third-period goal by Marián Gáborík. 

Isles: 

Goals: John Tavares (2)
Assists: P.A. Parenteau (3)
Points: John Tavares, P.A. Parenteau (4)

John Tavares is off to a great start. He has four points (two goals and two assists) so far. Former Ranger P.A. Parenteau is also off to a hot start with four points as well.

Now that the statistics and logistics are out of the way, this is a must-win game for the Rangers. They are currently winless after dropping their first two games in Europe. The Isles, on the other hand, have played better than anyone expected.

Tomorrow's game should be an interesting one. It will be the Rangers' first game back in North America, and the Isles will look to continue their winnings ways against their bitter rivals.

Tomorrow will be the first time Derek Stepan appears on the top line. This should be an interesting line to watch. The battery line of Anisimov, Dubinsky and Callahan will also be reunited, as it was the Rangers' most successful line last season.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist. For more NHL free-agent news, updates and alerts about players: