Kris Knoblauch, behind the bench on Saturday night in DC for his third game as head coach while David Quinn remains on the COVID protocol, will maintain his status for at least two more games this Monday and Thursday, according to the Test Protocol NHL positive.
Quinn entered the COVID-19 shortlist last Wednesday. Although the Rangers have not confirmed that the 54-year-old’s test was positive, it is safe to draw that inference while he is quarantined. As such, both Section 4.1 and Section 4.2 would apply.
Section 4.1 on asymptomatic people states that the quarantine can end, “10 days after the first positive test, provided the individual has remained asymptomatic throughout the period of his self-isolation; and Satisfaction of Additional Criteria in 4.3 [that mandates the team physician and infectious disease expert must conclude the individual, ‘no longer presents a risk of infection to others.’”
Section 4.2 pertaining to persons with symptoms at the time of testing or thereafter states that quarantine may end, “If at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and at least 24 hours since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; [plus satisfaction of the aforementioned Section 4.3 Criteria.]”
The next Friday marks 10 days after Quinn’s presumed positive test. The Rangers have the Sabers at home on Monday and are in Philadelphia on Thursday, so those games would be run by Knoblauch. The Blueshirts will be back in Philadelphia on Saturday for an afternoon game, before returning to Washington next Sunday for another matinee.
If Quinn is asymptomatic, it is unclear whether he would be allowed to travel to Philadelphia on Friday, where he would stay at a hotel before joining the team the next morning. Otherwise, that game would also belong to Knoblauch.
Except for unforeseen complications that are always possible this season, Quinn would be guaranteed to resume command for Sunday’s match against the Caps. So, in total, he would end up losing a total of six or seven games.
Rangers shared Knoblauch’s first two games, winning that famous 9-0 game at the Garden on Wednesday against the Flyers before losing 2-1 painfully to Caps in DC on Friday when Alex Ovechkin scored in two strokes 3: 9 separate at the end of the third period.
Both goals were scored with Rangers ‘fourth row, Brendan Lemieux-Steve Rooney-Brett Howden, on the ice, against Ovechkin and Caps’ first division. It is true that the defense duel between Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox of the Blueshirts was also going on, but it is not ideal to have the fourth row against Ovechkin at the end of the third period, even for a turn with the game on the line, let alone two.
Lemieux, Rooney and Howden were like a line for the first after a failed Rangers strength game, in which the team used their seven most productive strikers. In addition to the fourth line, Kaapo Kakko and Colin Blackwell were rested following the PP.
After the equalizer, Knoblauch implemented the Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin-Ryan Strome-Blackwell lines before returning to the fourth row and another unfortunate clash against Ovechkin.
But although the distribution of personnel is important, so is the goalkeeper, and Alexandar Georgiev was out of position in both of Ovechkin’s goals. First, he stretched his left kick too far so he couldn’t recover when the puck hit a man in the front and jumped into the slot, where Great Eight was able to strike at 13:18 for the equalizer.
Georgiev then used his left pad to kick John Carlson’s left circle directly into the slot where Ovechkin could swallow the rebound for the backhand that made it 2-1 at 16:27. It is true that Lindgren may have managed to tie the winger’s stick or that Howden could have provided better coverage, but the goalkeeper cannot kick disks into danger zones that way.
Georgiev, whose rebound control was excellent last season, had problems from the start this year. In fact, after leaving the Islanders out on their January 16 debut, the first goal scored against Georgiev was in a right-wing attack by Travis Zajac created by Georgiev kicking Miles Wood’s opening kick into the circle in the loss to New Jersey three nights later.
The problems persisted for Georgiev, who recorded a saved percentage. less than 0.890 in seven of his 13 matches. While Igor Shesterkin continues to rehabilitate the groin injury he suffered in New Jersey on March 4, Keith Kinkaid is due to start on Saturday with Knoblauch.
The problems persisted for Georgiev, who recorded a saved percentage. less than 0.890 in seven of his 13 matches. While Igor Shesterkin continues to rehabilitate the groin injury he suffered in New Jersey on March 4, Keith Kinkaid is due to start on Saturday with Knoblauch.