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NHL ON NBCSN: Rangers expect Nash, Grabner back vs. Red Wings

New York Rangers v Detroit Red Wings

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 22: Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers keeps an eye on the puck as teammate Nick Holden #22 blocks a shot with his foot in front of Luke Glendening #4 of the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on January 22, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. New York won the game 1-0 in overtime. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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The second game on the NBC networks on Sunday takes place in Detroit when the Red Wings host the New York Rangers at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

You can catch all of the action on NBCSN or on our live stream.

For the Rangers, this will be their first game without Henrik Lundqvist for the next couple of weeks after the team revealed on Saturday that the goaltender is going to be sidelined two-to-three weeks due to a hip injury. That means Antti Raanta is going to get the start against the Red Wings as he looks to continue his strong season serving as the Rangers’ backup.

While Lundqvist is sidelined, the Rangers are hoping to get some good news on the injury front when it comes to forwards Rick Nash and Michael Grabner as both are expected to return to the lineup. Nash missed the Rangers’ last game due to an upper body injury, while Grabner has been sidelined for the past five games due to a hip injury.

The Rangers offense has gone through a bit of a dry spell in recent weeks, scoring just 27 goals in their past 12 games.

Even with that offensive slump the Rangers are still holding on to the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and don’t seem to be in any danger of losing it. Even though they still have 14 games remaining on their schedule their playoff position seems almost certainly set, as they have a 12-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs (currently in the second wild card spot) and are four points back of the top-three teams in the Metropolitan Division.

As for the Red Wings, this game has almost no playoff implications for them as they sit in 15th place in the Eastern Conference and are 13 points back of a playoff spot after losing 15 of their past 20 games. Their run of 25 consecutive playoff appearances is almost certain to come to an end this season.