The Rangers faceoff in a huge game at the bottom of the hour against the Flyers at The Garden. Currently seventh with 81 points in the wild and wacky everchanging Eastern playoff race, they’re only a point ahead of Toronto, Carolina and Montreal and two ahead of the Islanders. So they know what’s at stake with eight more including six on the road left after tonight. Brendan Shanahan returns from a concussion ironically enough suffered 15 games ago against the same team last month after a scary collision with ex-Ranger Mike Knuble, who just returned the other night from a broken orbital bone. The fact both are back is amazing in itself and speaks to the hardminded nature of hockey players. Amazingly, Shanahan’s 28 goals still pace the Blueshirts. So to say he wasn’t missed would be inaccurate. And if he can pop a few and give the power play a boost, it should certainly aid the Rangers’ postseason aspirations.

The 38 year-old future Hall of Famer will join Sean Avery and impressive rookie Ryan Callahan to form the Irish Line. Or as my buddy Rob from Jersey termed it, “The IRA Line.” It should be interesting to see how Shanahan performs after almost being done for the season.

The Rangers are still without forward Martin Straka, who will miss his second straight with a bruised knee. The lines should look like this when they drop the puck:

Isbister-Nylander-Jagr

Callahan-Avery-Shanahan

Ortmeyer-Cullen-Prucha

Hollweg-Betts-Orr

One question will be whether Tom Renney utilizes the Betts line to match-up against the Flyers’ dangerous top scoring unit which features Simon Gagne and Knuble. Coming off a game in which they shutdown NHL leading scorer Sidney Crosby, it wouldn’t be surprising if the coach employs the strategy again with so much at stake.

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