Henrik Lundqvist is unhappy he’s not starting tonight versus Winnipeg; however, he stands behind coach Alain Vigneault’s decision to give Cam Talbot a second straight nod in goal for the Rangers.
Meanwhile, as if it needed to be said, Vigneault confirmed that Lundqvist is “definitely” still the Rangers’ No. 1 goalie and that starting Talbot again is simply a matter of riding the hot hand.
Of course, all of the above is occurring as Lundqvist remains without a contract extension past the end of the current season. Not surprisingly, Lundqvist didn’t want to talk about that angle, and neither did Vigneault.
Anyway, as we wrote earlier today, without being privy to contract talks between the club and Lundqvist, it would be a stretch to suggest there’s a controversy here, or even that one is on the horizon. For Talbot, tonight will be just his eighth career NHL start. We’re quite certain the Rangers aren’t ready to hand an inexperienced, undrafted 26-year-old out of the University of Alamaba in Huntsville the keys to the franchise after facing 198 shots in the big leagues, even if he did stop 187 of them.
The Rangers’ next game is Thursday in Buffalo.
Lundqvist: "I’m not satisfied with being OK...I want to be great and if I’m not, I’m not satisfied."
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 2, 2013