The New York Rangers are facing elimination tonight, so they’ll need their captain to bring his best.
Ryan McDonagh received a call-out of sorts from his head coach this morning, ahead of Game 6 against the Senators at MSG.
“When he’s on top of his game, I feel he’s one of the best two-way defensemen in the league,” Alain Vigneault said. “We need him to be on top of his game. I think the last two games were okay for him, but I know there’s another level. We obviously need that tonight.”
McDonagh is especially under the microscope given Ottawa has two-time Norris Trophy-winner Erik Karlsson on its back end.
Karlsson notched three assists in Saturday’s Game 5, a 5-4 Senators OT victory that put the Blueshirts on the brink.
McDonagh, meanwhile, had a goal and logged 26:41 of ice time, but finished minus-1 in the contest.