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Blackhawks vs. Rangers preview: Jonathan Toews returns in NYC

The Chicago Blackhawks visit New York to take on the Rangers on Tuesday night, as they look to split their season series. Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook made the trip, and both players are set to return from their respective injuries.

That should make Tuesday some essential viewing beyond the fact that it’s two highly entertaining teams meeting once again.

The Hawks and Rangers met last Friday in what proved to be a goaltender showdown between Scott Darling and former Blackhawk Antti Raanta. New York took the first game of the series when Nick Holden scored 55 seconds into overtime for a 1-0 victory.

Despite being the backup goalie to Henrik Lundqvist, Raanta has had an incredible season for the Rangers so far, with an 8-1 record, .943 save percentage and 1.65 goals against average. It has not been announced who will get the start Tuesday for New York, however, after going 3-0 in his last three starts, and receiving two straight shutouts, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Raanta gets the nod.

Darling has been phenomenal in Corey Crawford’s absence, with a 6-2-2 record, and making some fantastic saves along the way. Heading into Tuesday’s matchup, Darling holds a .929 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average.

The Hawks extended their season record to 18-8-4 after a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars Sunday night, to put them four points ahead of the St. Louis Blues to lead the Central Division. Meanwhile, the Rangers sit in 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, with a 20-9-1 record, and are coming off a 5-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

For more on the Rangers, visit Blueshirt Banter.

Lineups

Blackhawks

Forwards

Hartman-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
Rasmussen-Kruger-Panik
Motte-Hinostroza-Desjardins

Defensemen

Keith-Hjalmarsson
TVR-Campbell
Forsling-Rozsival

Goalie

Scott Darling

Rangers

Forwards

Grabner-Hayes-Miller
Kreider-Step-Zuccarello
Hrivik-Lindberg-Fast
Vesey-Pirri-Jensen

Defensemen

McDonagh-Girardi
Staal-Holden
Skjei-Klein

Goalie

Antti Raanta

How to watch Blackhawks at Rangers

Time: 6 p.m. CT

Where: Madison Square Garden

TV: CSN Chicago, NBCSN (U.S.), Sportsnet (Canada)

Live Stream: NBC Sports

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