Occasionally, successful teams need role players to contribute to victories. In the Rangers last two games, which were both wins over quality teams, it’s been the role guys who have stepped up to make a difference.

In Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Devils, it was Sam Carrick who played the hero by scoring the game-winner on a set up from Reilly Smith. That was after he took the puck away from Jack Hughes in the defensive zone to start the clinching sequence. In Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Golden Knights, Carrick continued to play well in a more defined role by centering Arthur Kaliyev and Jimmy Vesey on the third line. His biggest contribution was a hard backcheck that broke up a two-on-one.

That kind of hustle has stood out during the Rangers’ recent turnaround that’s seen them go 4-1-1 over their last six. After a seven-week malaise that saw them sink to last place in the Metropolitan Division, they’ve started to play a more complete game. For the first time since mid-November, they won for the second time in a row. Being more committed defensively, they blocked 21 shots and kept most of the Golden Knights’ chances to the outside – allowing Igor Shesterkin to do his job by making 29 saves. That included a dozen in the third period when Vegas turned up the heat after falling behind on Adam Edstrom’s goal with just over 14 minutes left.

With the game tied at one, it was the fourth line that delivered the go-ahead goal. After Matt Rempe made a good pass out of his zone across to Jonny Brodzinski, he moved in and threw the puck in front for Edstrom, who managed to get his stick down to deflect it past Ilya Samsonov to make it 2-1 at 5:57. It was his first goal in 21 games. For a rookie who’s played in every game this season, Edstrom does a lot of the little things well. Back in the first period, he made a diving block to break up a Knights’ chance. He didn’t return until the second period. A good skater for his size, Edstrom’s used his speed to outhustle opponents. That consistent effort is why Rangers coach Peter Laviolette trusts him.

For two periods, the Rangers outplayed the Knights. They outshot them 12-6 in a strong first period that was played entirely at five-on-five. In particular, Mika Zibanejad had another strong showing. His line spent a lot of time in the Knights’ defensive zone. Zibanejad seems to have rediscovered his game lately. He’s been skating with more purpose and making better plays in the offensive zone. The line with Cuylle and Smith had good chemistry last night which led to some opportunities. In his return to Vegas where he helped them win a Stanley Cup, Smith had five shots on goal. Samsonov made a few good saves to deny him.

The top line also had some shifts where they threatened to get on the scoreboard. Even though they haven’t dominated like last season, the trio of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere are starting to generate more at even strength. There are some positive signs that they’re close to breaking out. Trocheck had a good night, converting a Zibanejad rebound for a critical game-tying power-play goal and tied with Smith for the team lead with five shots. He has six points (4-2-6) over the last four games. During the same stretch, Panarin has a goal and five assists. He has continued to shoot the puck. With the Rangers leading 2-1 in the third, he hit the goalpost, which has been a theme for Panarin this season. It helps explain why he has 17 goals instead of 24 or 25.

If they’re going to make a run in the second half and leapfrog teams ahead of them in the wild card chase, Panarin must lead the way. With Shesterkin delivering a second straight quality game in net, he’s done his part to show teammates that he’s ready to carry them to the playoffs. It’s the pair of Russian stars that can make a difference. Of course, they’ll need help from the supporting cast.

If there’s cause for optimism in the modest two-game winning streak, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren look more like themselves. Fox has been making better reads offensively and defensively to keep plays alive. Lindgren is back to leveling opponents and delivering key blocks when his team needs it most. When the top pair is in sync, that bodes well.

The same can be echoed for K’Andre Miller, who has taken some steps in the right direction since being partnered with Will Borgen. Miller’s been more aggressive in both the offensive zone and neutral zone. Borgen has been steady while handling the nuts and bolts in his end. His reverse hit allowed him to move the puck up for Rempe, who sent Brodzinski and Edstrom in for the winner. With Kaapo Kakko having more success in Seattle, the player the Rangers got back has quietly had a positive impact on the blue line. With Borgen turning unrestricted this summer, it remains to be seen if he’ll stay. That largely depends on how the next six weeks will go. But he’s certainly boosted his value by providing consistent minutes.

In his second game, Arthur Kaliyev was more noticeable in all facets. In 15 shifts, he had three shots and played responsibly defensively. His best chance came when he made a nice move to get around the Vegas defense and in on Samsonov. But he was bit too patient with the puck. He played on the third line with Carrick and Jimmy Vesey, who was reinserted after sitting out the last game. Brett Berard was sent down to Hartford for the weekend. Bo Groulx was recalled but didn’t play. Laviolette opted to stick with Carrick and Brodzinski as his third and fourth line centers. It didn’t make sense to call up Groulx in the first place. Filip Chytil skated but wasn’t deemed ready to return.

Despite largely outplaying the Knights, the Rangers fell behind on a Mark Stone power-play goal at 6:16 of the second period. On what was a ridiculous call on Trocheck for holding the stick on Vegas actor Tomas Hertl, the Knights took advantage quickly. After a faceoff win, Jack Eichel moved the puck down low for Stone, who came out and had his shot go off Braden Schneider’s stick past Shesterkin to put Vegas in front.

Trocheck would get some revenge thanks to striking back on the power play at 9:54 to tie the score. Keegan Kolesar took an ill-advised tripping minor on Miller in the offensive zone. Following a couple of misses, Zibanejad took a Panarin feed and had his one-timer hit Trocheck in the midsection. He was still able to backhand home the rebound for his 14th. Afterwards, a hurting Trocheck went to the locker room before returning to the bench.

Late in the period, Shesterkin prevented the Knights from taking the lead. He was able to recover in time to deny Kolesar on a wrap-around and later stopped Ivan Barbashev. He also had some luck when Eichel hit the goalpost with the Rangers’ fourth line caught out for a late shift. On the opposite end, Carrick was stopped by Samsonov.

The refs again messed up with time winding down in the period. Somehow, they allowed the Knights to get away with an obvious pick play in the offensive zone that nearly led to them taking the lead. However, the puck didn’t cross the goal line until after time had expired. What is it about Vegas that they need help from the league? Whether it’s taking advantage of LTIR with questionable moves to free up more space to acquire players at the deadline, or getting favorable calls in games, it’s puzzling. They already have a good team. Their fans act like spoiled children when a call goes against them. I’m sure Hasan can relate when it comes to the Devils facing the Hurricanes.

The third was awfully quiet until the fourth line delivered a critical goal. At the time, neither side had registered a shot. Borgen made a good defensive play behind his net due to a reverse hit. After Rempe received the puck on the wall, he saw Brodzinski open at the Vegas blue line. His pass across sent Brodzinski in on the left wing. It looked like he was going to shoot but instead made a smart pass that Edstrom tipped in for the first game-winner of his career.

After Panarin’s close call, the rest of the period was all Knights. They turned up the heat literally. Even with the Rangers easily killing off a Smith tripping minor following Edstrom’s goal, it didn’t create any momentum. They decided to sit back and play a neutral zone trap. While it worked, they went into a shell in crunch time. It was too close for comfort.

Shesterkin came up large by stopping Noah Hanifin. Urho Vaakanainen went off for hooking William Karlsson with 2:55 remaining. At first, the Knights went with a traditional five-on-four. But after Shesterkin made a couple of saves on Stone and Victor Olofsson, they pulled Samsonov for a six-on-four. Eichel just missed tying it. Shesterkin then stopped Hertl.

With exactly one minute left, Shea Theodore sent a shot wide. He didn’t keep a puck in which helped the Rangers. Two Vegas mishaps allowed them to kill precious time off the clock. After Vaakanainen’s penalty expired, the Rangers continued to play outstanding defense to prevail for their second straight win. Just like their performance against the Devils, they showed a lot of character.

Now, it’s onto Colorado on Tuesday to take on the high-powered Avalanche. That should be more challenging due to mega stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen. If they can win that game, then we can start to think about a run.