Tom Wilson will be in the spotlight again on Wednesday night.
The New York Rangers made a flurry of moves this offseason to address a supposed lack of physicality in their lineup. The time has come to see if those additions will be a net positive.
“They gotta lot of new faces, new personnel that I’m sure are going to try and make an impact on the game,” Wilson said. “If you ask them, this is a big rivalry now. So we’ll expect that. Everyone wants to get the win at the end of the day. We have our game plan. We’re going to try and execute that.”
The Rangers have a fully healthy roster that includes Ryan Reaves who had a preseason injury scare.
In D.C., Gerard Gallant said everybody's healthy, and that Ryan Reaves, Jarred Tinordi and Dryden Hunt are in the opening lineup. So, well, you know what that means. #NYR
— Rick Carpiniello (@RickCarpiniello) October 13, 2021
“My job is to play the game, play my game,” Wilson continued. “If we’re going to go on the power play that’s great. We have a lot of good players in this room that can make things happen out there and capitalize on that. That being said, emotions are going to be high. I’m sure. You have to stay disciplined like any other night.”
Ryan Reaves v. Tom Wilson III – Hype Machine Never Break https://t.co/UtpeqaiRmU
— hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) October 13, 2021
In regards to the Rangers’ seemingly direct response to him all summer, Wilson admitted that “The whole summer, it seemed to be one thing after another.” Tom trended multiple times on Twitter after the Rangers acquired tough players to possibly face him.
Happy Tom Wilson Night. Sign at @Capitals practice: “#43 lives rent free in their heads.” #NHL pic.twitter.com/U6MLNeUaC1
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) October 13, 2021
“I don’t know what the real goal is behind it all,” he added. “All I can really focus on is our room, our team, our organization. Having a big, physical first night with the Rangers isn’t where we want to be this year. We have a lot of goals. I want to score goals. I want to be a leader. I want to take on more responsibility, and get our team to the playoffs and hopefully more. Obviously, tonight there’s a big spotlight on the game. It’s an opening night for both teams. It’s going to be fun. We’ll see how it goes.”
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
