Madison Square Garden, New York – The food is all gone but I’m sure nobody here over-served themselves with extra helpings of turkey and stuffing. I’m sure we all kept it at about the 2000 calorie mark for the day. We’re all bastions of good health and clean living here. Okay, maybe that’s not the case. If you’re like me, you’re waking from a food coma on this Black Friday, when all of the people who have never heard of Amazon get up at 3am to buy things for people who will inevitably end up returning whatever steaming pile of guano that was purchased before sunrise today.
The smart ones will skip the uber-sales and stay home for a full slate of NHL action. Black Friday for the NHL starts at 1pm when Anthony Duclair and the new York Rangers take on Wayne Simmonds and the Philadelphia Flyers in a Black Friday matinée (See what I did there? Both of them are black).
Today’s game is the first of a home-and-home this weekend beginning in Philly. Tomorrow they face off at the Garden at 1pm. Saturday’s game is so early because my alma mater, Cornell University, will skate against Penn State at MSG in the night slot. Its a rare day-night hockey double header at MSG. Should be a fun, drunken day at The Mecca.
Ryan McDonagh should return this weekend. This will complete the Rangers’ lineup. Matt Hunwick has played well and I wouldn’t be surprised if Alain Vigneault kept him around at the expense of John Moore. Moore seems to be in AV’s dog house. Though it’s tough to say what he did to get there. Hunwick has been good as Cheesy Bruin has pointed out, but I don’t know that he’s better than Moore.
Either way, it will be good to get McDonagh back and have a full compliment of actual NHL defensemen. It will be interesting to see what the Rangers do on the power play. Will Mac and Dan Boyle man the blue line together? Will Boyle move to the second unit? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.
Kevin Hayes has been a revelation for the Rangers. He’s played very well, along with Duclair. They are the reason that JT Miller, who by all accounts is playing very well in Hartford, can’t crack the squad of the big club. Tune in today and tomorrow at 1pm to see these kids play. Enjoy your turkey hangovers.
Dr. Diz, tomorrow.
