A week off is all the Rangers needed to get back on track. After struggling in January, they’ve responded by taking the first three games out of the break. Going back to a win over the Senators on Jan. 27, they’ve won four straight – allowing them to extend their lead to six points over the Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

They followed up an overtime win over the Avalanche by defeating the Lightning 3-1 on Feb. 7. After a scoreless first period, they got production from depth players. Jimmy Vesey snuck a backhand through Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead early in the second period. It was his 10th goal of the season.

With Jonathan Quick (17 saves) getting it done in the net for the third consecutive time, the Rangers would add a key insurance marker late in the second. Some strong work from Blake Wheeler and Chris Kreider led to Jonny Brodzinski getting his second goal in three games. He came on to replace Mika Zibanejad. Kreider fed him a pass, and Brodzinski was able to beat Vasilevskiy for a two-goal lead.

Sergachev Suffers Horrible Injury

During the second period, the game was overshadowed by a horrible injury to Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. On a reverse hit by Alexis Lafreniere, Sergachev caught a rut in the ice and landed badly. He had to be taken off on a stretcher. On the Rangers’ bench, Lafreniere was emotional. It was a clean play with an unfortunate result.

A day later, the Lightning announced that Sergachev underwent successful surgery to stabilize fractures to the tibia and fibula in his left leg. Hockey fans wished him all the best in his recovery.

It definitely affected the Lightning. Their minds seemed to be elsewhere. Vasilevskiy allowed two bad goals. His teammates struggled mightily to get anything established. The Rangers held them to just four shots in the period.

Quick Comes Up Big

The Lightning were a different team in the third period. They carried most of the play for a good portion. That forced Quick to come up big. He stopped eight of nine shots to win his third straight start.

After Brandon Hagel cut the Rangers’ lead to one, Quick made some crucial saves to keep them ahead. All season, he’s delivered. That’s why Rangers coach Peter Laviolette stuck with him on Wednesday. He could’ve gone back to Igor Shesterkin. But Quick played so well against Colorado that it made sense to ride the hot hand.

Following a successful penalty kill of a Mika Zibanejad penalty, Vesey sealed the victory with an empty netter. That gave him 11 goals on the season, matching his total for 2022-23. He’s been a solid depth player since returning for his second stint with the Rangers. Vesey works diligently and has been reliable.

Zibanejad Gets Overtime Winner in Chicago

It’s been a tough season for Zibanejad. The Rangers’ number one center hasn’t scored consistently. Despite still being close to a point-per-game player, the 30-year-old has to be better down the stretch. He got the overtime winner in a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks on Friday night.

Before that happened, the Rangers blew a two-goal lead in the third period. Following an Alex Vlasic unassisted tally early in the first period, Lafreniere buried a good K’Andre Miller pass across for his third goal in four games. Artemi Panarin picked up the secondary assist.

Over a minute later, Adam Fox set up Chris Kreider for his 24th of the season to put the Rangers in front. With Boris Katchouk struggling to get back to the Blackhawks’ bench, Caleb Jones pushed him in the direction. Jones was caught out of position, allowing a patient Fox to find Kreider for an easy finish.

In the second period, Brodzinski scored his third goal in four games to put the Blueshirts ahead by two. Will Cuylle drove to the Chicago net for a rebound of a Kaapo Kakko shot. With Petr Mrazek down, Brodzinski steered in the rebound for his fourth of the season.

However, the Blackhawks rallied to tie it up in the third period. With the Rangers sitting back, it nearly cost them. They were outshot 12-3. Goals from Nick Foligno (deflection) and Jason Dickinson (tip-in) forced overtime. There was nothing Shesterkin could do on either goal. In his first start since Jan. 26, he finished with 28 saves on 31 shots to earn his 20th win of the season.

In overtime, Lafreniere got a breakaway on Mrazek. But as has happened often, he was robbed of a sure goal. Lafreniere tried a backhand deke, but Mrazek reached back to make a great glove save.

A little later in the three-on-three, Zibanejad was able to score his 16th of the season to win the game. On a nice passing play started by Fox, he moved the puck to Kreider, who then found Zibanejad in the right circle for a good wrist shot that beat Mrazek upstairs for the overtime winner. It was his first goal in eight games. His last one came on Jan. 18.

Hopefully, that can get Zibanejad going. In the third period, Laviolette even tried him with Panarin and Lafreniere. He flipped centers on the top two lines. Vincent Trocheck took shifts with Kreider and Wheeler. It was mostly about trying to spark Zibanejad. The Rangers didn’t play well in the period, either. So, Laviolette tried something different.

Blueshirts Have the Weekend Off

After winning games on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Rangers have the weekend off. They return home to prepare for the Flames on Feb. 12.

Calgary is in town to complete a three-game visit to the metro area. After defeating the Devils on Thursday night, they face the Islanders this afternoon. Then, get a day off before taking on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

New acquisition Andrei Kuzmenko has goals in his first two games since coming over from Vancouver in a trade that sent Elias Lindholm to the Canucks.

Rookie forward Connor Zary has played himself into the Calder race. With a goal and assist in the Flames’ win over the Devils, he’s up to 12 goals with 14 assists for 26 points on the season. A former first round pick in 2020, Zary has developed well in his first season. He’s also a plus-17 in 41 games.

The Flames aren’t a contender in the West. They already unloaded Lindholm. Earlier in the season, Nikita Zadorov was traded to the Canucks. Chris Tanev should be available before the trade deadline. He’s a defensive defenseman who blocks shots. Keep an eye on him.

Calgary still boasts a good nucleus that includes Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund, Jonathan Huberdeau, Andrew Mangiapane, Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Anderson, MacKenzie Weegar, and Jacob Markstrom. They’ve won three in a row entering Saturday.

If the Blueshirts can win on Monday, that would be five in a row. We’ll see if they can keep it going.