Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist: Designated as Thursday's road starter

Lundqvist will defend the cage Thursday for a road start against the Sabres.

Analysis:

After a brilliant run ahead of the All-Star break that saw the King post three wins in four games to go along with a 1.50 GAA, the Blue Jackets chased him out of the net in the second period of Tuesday's game with three goals on 16 shots. The Swedish backstop is winning at a slightly higher rate than last season, but his GAA stands at 2.78, well higher than his 2.48 from 2015-16. He'll look to improve against a Buffalo team that is second-to-last in the Atlantic Division standings and has a minus-21 goal differential.