On a warm autumn day in October, there will be wall to wall hockey on #FrozenFrenzy. All 32 teams are in action as part of ESPN’s extensive coverage of 16 games on a busy Tuesday.

That includes the Rangers, who host the Lightning for the second time in 12 days at Madison Square Garden. Due to the chaos beginning at 6 PM with the Devils visiting the Red Wings, the Blueshirts are slated to start at 7:15 PM. With games beginning 15 minutes apart, including the Panthers at Blue Jackets (6:15 PM), Sabres at Canadiens (6:30), Capitals at Hurricanes (6:45), and Kraken at Flyers (7:00), the Rangers are the sixth game on the NHL schedule.

If you like to follow other action between breaks, you’ll be quite busy going back and forth with the remote or streams. If only it was being done around the holidays. Now, that would be more fun for everyone. If they ever decided to pick a day before Christmas without much NBA or any NFL games, that would be a great addition. At least diehards have the World Juniors starting on Boxing Day in the winter.

The first time the Rangers faced the Lightning, they responded well to a 3-0 shutout loss to the Bruins by putting together a strong effort in a 5-1 win in the home opener on Oct. 1. There were five different goalscorers, including Pavel Dorofeyev, who’s been snake bit since. He hit two goalposts on the power play in Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Canucks. For a second straight game, he’ll start with Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault on the first line, with Mike Sullivan looking to get him going.

That last meeting was also highlighted by the first goalie goal in franchise history scored by Igor Shesterkin. Less than two weeks later, the Rangers are set to play their second game without Shesterkin, who’s done for the season after injuring his right knee in a 3-1 loss at the Caps on Oct. 9. He was placed on long-term injured reserve two days ago. If by some miracle following surgery and a long rehab he recovers in time for the playoffs, the Rangers haven’t put him on the unavailable list. That could always change depending on what happens.

Entering tonight, the Blueshirts bring a 5-2-0 record into play with their 10 points ranking second behind the first place Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. Unlike some other teams (Devils, Flyers, Islanders) who have struggled out of the gate, they’ve played well enough to be near the top of the Eastern Conference, with only the Hurricanes and Senators having better records.

Leading scorer Alexis Lafreniere brings a four-game point streak in with all eight of his points coming over that stretch. With the 25-year-old forward hot, Sullivan moved him down to the second line to play with captain J.T. Miller and Tye Kartye. In their first game together, they were dominant at 5-on-5 combining for a 57.14 CF rating and two goals both scored by Kartye. Each forward finished with two points, including Miller, who set up Kartye twice. Lafreniere scored his team-leading fifth on the power play.

Perreault continued to show improvement with a goal and an assist in the third period. After making a sweet dish on the Lafreniere power-play goal, he used his hands to redirect an Adam Fox shot pass for his third. The second-year forward is tied with Fox for third in team scoring with six points.

Fox has continued to resemble the elite defenseman who won the Norris in 2020-21. A smart and steady player who remains one of the best passers, his six assists are tied with Zibanejad for the team lead. While it’s doubtful he can keep up with the high scoring Evan Bouchard, Cale Makar, or Quinn Hughes, the 28-year-old Fox should remain in the upper echelon of defensemen this season. His importance to the Blueshirts can’t be understated.

Dylan Garand gets the start in net. Since coming in to relieve the injured Shesterkin by making 11 saves last Friday, the 24-year-old netminder has remained calm, cool, and collected. Although he wasn’t at his best two days ago, Garand finished with 19 saves to pick up his second win of the season. In three appearances, he’s stopped 52 of 55 shots.

Rempe Returns to Lineup

Since playing in the season opener on Sept. 29, Matt Rempe has been a healthy scratch over the last six games. With Sullivan deciding to give Jaroslav Chmelar the night off, Rempe makes his return to the lineup tonight.

For many observers who live and die with the Blueshirts, they don’t understand the lineup change. Especially with the team having won five of six with Rempe out. Even if I’d prefer to keep Chmelar in due to his skating, I understand the rationale behind Sullivan’s decision. With Lightning head man Jon Cooper opting to dress tough customer Jeffrey Viel, that might be a good enough reason for Sullivan to reinsert Rempe.

Viel is a few years older than Rempe. He actually had a positive influence on the Ducks after they acquired him last season. The 29-year-old veteran set personal bests with three goals, seven assists, and 10 points in 35 contests for Anaheim. That included 49 penalty minutes and 94 hits. The gritty Viel was a factor in the Ducks’ first round upset over the Oilers last spring. His physicality bothered Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

When the Rangers and Lightning take the Garden ice, will there be a rumble between heavyweights? Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail. For Rempe, this is an opportunity to get back in the coach’s good graces. He can’t take a bad penalty or get caught out of position going for a big hit. If it’s the right time, then a fight could be possible. If his team is leading, he must avoid letting Viel suck him into a scrap that could energize the Bolts.

Boltin’ Up

Since losing their season opener to the Rangers, the Lightning have won four in a row. They’ve bolted up by defeating Washington, Philadelphia, Minnesota, and most recently, the Islanders in succession to outscore opponents 15-7 during the four-game winning streak.

As usual, two-time Hart winner Nikita Kucherov leads the way with eight points. One of the game’s best players, Kucherov shows no signs of slowing down with six of his team-leading eight points coming at even strength. A great skater who has a lethal shot, the 33-year-old superstar has only one goal and seven shots thus far. That could change in a hurry.

Brandon Hagel is coming off a hat trick versus the Islanders. A terrific player, Hagel combines speed with skill and grit. A very active player who’ll win physical battles, he can erupt at any time. Hagel enters tonight with four goals and four helpers, along with a team-leading 26 shots.

Jake Guentzel is the other dangerous Lightning forward who is strong in front. He’s certainly done damage in the past versus the Rangers. Dating back to his days spent as a Penguin, he has 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 career games against the Blueshirts.

So far, so good for veteran defenseman John Carlson, who signed with the Lightning in the offseason. The former Saint Joseph High School standout from New Jersey remains a splendid shooter if he gets time from the point. He has two goals and two helpers with the Bolts.

Captain Victor Hedman is taking on less responsibility. The former Norris winner is averaging only 14 minutes a game. After missing the remainder of last season due for personal reasons, perhaps he isn’t the same player. With Cooper having a lot of proven veterans, which include ex-Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, he can manage Hedman’s ice time.

The notable exception is ace defensive defenseman J.J. Moser, who had 29 points and a plus-41 rating last season. Even his ice time is down a tick. Keep an eye on Charlie-Edouard D’Astous, who’s become a trusted regular.

Andrei Vasilevskiy continues to play well as one of the premier goalies in hockey. Coming off a second Vezina, he’s 3-1-0 with a 2.29 goals-against-average and an .892 save percentage.

The Lightning don’t allow many shots. Expect them to be sharper for tonight’s rematch.