Rangers’ Shakeup Needed for Slumping Kakko

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Derek

Entering tonight’s match against the Red Wings, the New York Rangers are 8-2-1 sitting atop the Metropolitan Division. Even following a 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild on Nov. 4, in which they didn’t play well, the Rangers were able to get a point thanks to Jonathan Quick (36 saves). He made enough clutch stops in place of injured starter Igor Shesterkin.

Shesterkin remains out for Tuesday night. Recently recalled goalie Louis Domingue will back up. It doesn’t sound like Shesterkin will miss too much more time. There’s no reason to panic.

When it comes to the uncertainty surrounding star defenseman Adam Fox, nobody knows how long he’ll be out for. There’s no indication that he’ll be ready by Nov. 29 when he becomes eligible to be activated off long-term injured reserve (LTIR).

The lack of transparency is frustrating for both the press and fans. Especially in a league that’s partnered with gambling sites. Look no further than what’s going on with Devils’ stars Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes across the Hudson.

Related: Devils Injury Concerns mar Solid Road Trip thus Far

With no idea when Fox will return, the Rangers will continue to play a defense that includes Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren, Erik Gustafsson, Braden Schneider, and Zac Jones. In the game at Minnesota, the third pair of Jones and Schneider struggled. However, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is correct when he says that it’s not only about one or two players. The team was lousy defensively. They were outskated by the Wild.

If not for getting the game’s first three goals on their first four shots to chase Wild starter Filip Gustavsson, they would’ve been blown out. Some undisciplined play caught up to the Rangers. Three straight penalties allowed the Wild to gain the momentum. They scored four straight goals to take a 4-3 lead in the third period. But Laviolette’s wise decision to replace the slumping Kaapo Kakko with leading scorer Artemi Panarin for an offensive zone faceoff led directly to Chris Kreider’s team-leading eighth goal that netted the Rangers a point.

When they returned to practice yesterday in Tarrytown, Laviolette decided to make a line switch. Kakko was moved down to the third line. Blake Wheeler was promoted to the first line. It’s a move that had to happen. Kakko’s lack of production, along with an unwillingness to compete inside, hasn’t helped Mika Zibanejad or Kreider. Both have struggled at five-on-five. Zibanejad has three even strength points (1-2-3) so far. With his big tying goal, Kreider is up to two goals and two assists at even strength. Both need to pick it up.

Kakko got the first 11 games on the top line. Laviolette gave him plenty of time to see if the 22-year-old right wing could gel with Zibanejad and Kreider. It didn’t materialize. Kakko has only a goal and an assist thus far. Hardly enough to keep him in a first line role.

He remains an effective puck possession player. However, most of his play is on the perimeter. That must change. Maybe putting him on the third line can help change his mindset. He’ll have the chance to work with promising rookie Will Cuylle. A player who gets his nose dirty. Maybe his tenacity can rub off. For the time being, Nick Bonino will center the line due to Filip Chytil remaining out. He didn’t skate this morning. Hopefully, Chytil can return soon.

Without Chytil, Vincent Trocheck has moved up to center the second line. He played enough with Panarin last season to understand what should work. Panarin has played a more straightforward game. He’s not turning over pucks. That’s allowed him to be more successful. He brings an 11-game point streak into tonight’s game. With six goals and 12 assists, he leads the Rangers with 18 points. It was his shot off a Zibanejad faceoff win that Kreider tipped in against the Wild three days ago.

Although he doesn’t have great production so far, Alexis Lafreniere has been better than the statistics. In 11 games playing with Panarin and mostly Chytil, he has four goals and an assist for five points. Playing more aggressively, Lafreniere has created quality chances for both himself and his linemates. In particular, he works well with Panarin. They seem to know where each other are. It’s been a good partnership so far.

If the Rangers are to be successful on the upcoming three-game homestand against the Red Wings, Wild and Blue Jackets, they’ll need more balanced scoring from everyone. Jimmy Vesey scored his first goal of the season this past Saturday. A positive sign for the fourth line. Tyler Pitlick picked up a helper on the goal. It was his first game since Oct. 16.

If Barclay Goodrow is ready to return from the paternity list after his wife gave birth to a new son, he’ll be in the lineup. That would leave a decision for Laviolette, who could either keep Pitlick in on the fourth line or dress Jonny Brodzinski. Brodzinski played 9:13 in 15 shifts versus the Wild. Goodrow can shift to center if needed.

Having the proper balance is what Laviolette wants. He wasn’t pleased with the Rangers’ overall play over the weekend. He emphasizes better structure at five-on-five. There wasn’t much of that against the Wild, who had way too many easy looks that made life difficult on Quick. Facing a high-scoring Red Wings team that’s led by Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat, they’ll have to be sharp.

It’ll be interesting to see if the line adjustment pays off. While Kakko hasn’t established himself yet, Wheeler has gotten better since a slow start. He picked up a primary assist on Erik Gustafsson’s goal that made it 3-0 versus the Wild. It was his first point as a Ranger.

He’s been much more noticeable on the forecheck. Stronger plays along the boards have made him more effective. Laviolette recognized the improvement, which is why the more proven Wheeler draws the first line assignment. If he can mesh well with Zibanejad and Kreider, maybe the first line can produce better at even strength.

Most eyes will be on Kakko to see if he can respond well to the demotion. It’s not like he’s a bad player. He’s defensively responsible and a solid checking forward. Maybe the change can benefit him. It’s imperative that he improves his play. The Rangers need him to get going. We’ll see how he does later.

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Devils injury concerns mar solid road trip thus far

Posted on November 6, 2023 by hasan4978

With Nico Hischier already on the shelf since leaving a game against Buffalo on the 27th last month the Devils could ill afford to lose their Hart candidate as well, but lose Jack Hughes they have, after he took a spill into the boards early in Friday’s game at St. Louis – which proved to be the only loss of three on the trip so far. Hughes’s loss was far bigger than the 4-1 defeat (with two empty-netters adding to the score in a 2-1 game), although somehow it seems we dodged a bullet given the fact a so-called worst case scenario was avoided. Yet, Jack was still described as week to week with analyst Kevin Weekes indicating Jack wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

I mean geez, what kind of injury were they fearing here if being out only a few weeks wasn’t the worst-case scenario?! While I understand the secrecy around NHL injuries on the one hand, it still never fails to drive me crazy, especially if we’re talking about an injury that has to be fully healed before coming back into the lineup anyway. Nico hasn’t even made the road trip but we still don’t know the nature of his injury, whether it’s concussion-related or otherwise. The lack of a timetable given would lead you to assume it’s concussion but again, NHL teams always make fans engage in a parlor guessing game because they want other teams to do so as well. Maybe if there was as much money around gambling NHL games as there is in the NFL or even MLB, there’d be more injury transparency.

Once Hughes went out, my attitude was that it’s time for our role players, defense and goaltending to (in so many words) stop fooling around and shape up. So far it’s mostly been Hughes, Jesper Bratt and an otherworldly power play carrying the Devils during their start as the other aspects of the game have all been very shaky at times. Time to forget wild pond hockey for a while and play with more structure, it’s not sustainable to try to win games 4-3 and 5-4 a la the latter two games of our most recent homestand when you’re missing your top two centers and your fill-in #1 pivot didn’t even have a point in his first ten games of the season.

Fortunately in Chicago, all of that did happen – at least for the most part. The aforementioned new #1 center Mercer did step up with his first goal of the season, while fellow pivot Mike McLeod also added an empty-netter. Our other two goals were scored by Curtis Lazar and Flyers castoff Max Willman in his first game since being called up (who, what?!). Certainly our goaltending also stepped up with Vitek Vanecek putting up one of his better games of the season, making 32 stops and – if you’re an xG believer – stopping more than two goals above expected on the night. Lazar, Willman and Vitek are quite the unlikely trio to make up the three stars but that’s what you got in Chicago last night.

Hopefully Vitek (and Akira Schmid for that matter) can get back to being as consistent as they were last year. Against Buffalo in the Nico injury game, Vitek was actually inconsistent period-to-period as opposed to game to game…allowing clunker goals in the first and third period, making a handful of great saves in the second. Schmid in the meantime was just bad until he also picked it up in St. Louis, only allowing a pair of goals when the Devils’ offense disappeared down the tunnel with Jack on Friday night.

Admittedly I’ve been in and out of watching the Devils (at best) the last week or so, thus I don’t really have much to offer on the last few games apart from the injury concerns and players needing to step up. To this point, you can’t argue with the overall record and getting back-to-back wins against the Wild in an odd home-and-home is certainly commendable. Now more than ever they need to at least find a way to hang around NHL .500 the next few weeks, assuming Jack will be out until at best the end of the month, and Nico is still an unknown timetable himself. It’s nice that we have fewer games this month just as our stars have gone missing, but this upcoming schedule is still a joke. Playing in Colorado tomorrow in the last game of a four-game trip, then going home and playing the Caps Friday…seems normal enough. But then to have the Devils go BACK out West to Winnipeg next Tuesday on a one-game trip before heading back East again?! I mean…is someone just looking to get more frequent flier miles here?!

Hopefully at least one of the walking wounded by the time we’re back East for the foreseeable future next weekend.

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Rangers place Fox on Long-term Injured Reserve, Chytil to IR

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Derek

In one giant swoop, the injury bug has hit the Rangers. Winners of six straight entering Saturday night’s match at the Wild, they’ll be without two key players for a while.

A day after leaving Thursday night’s 2-1 win over the Hurricanes, Adam Fox was placed on the long-term injured reserve by the Rangers. By moving him to LTIR, that means Fox will miss at least the next 10 games. He won’t be eligible to return until Nov. 29.

The severity of Fox’s injury still isn’t known. The 25-year-old defenseman is second in team scoring with 11 points (3-8-11). That includes nine power play points. Losing the former Norris winner for any length of time could dramatically affect the Rangers’ man-advantage. They’re ranked third in the NHL with a 32.4 percent connect rate.

Gustafsson Likely to Get First Chance

Without Fox to run the point on the top unit, it’ll likely be Erik Gustafsson, who gets the first chance. A capable offensive defenseman who’s had success under Rangers’ coach Peter Laviolette in Washington, the 31-year-old Swede replaced Fox on the power play on Nov. 2. The left-shooting Gustafsson can fire it from the top. He’s also capable of moving the puck to set up both Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad.

The Rangers still boast strong power play weapons, including Chris Kreider, Panarin, Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck. Maybe adding a left shot won’t be such a bad thing. However, they’ll lose some of Fox’s creativity and patience. He’s superb at reading the play and making the right decision with the puck. Kreider’s made a living in front thanks to Fox’s wrist shot that he’s excellent at deflecting for power-play goals.

More Pressure on Defense

Losing Fox for any length of time will put more pressure on a blue line that still features Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Gustafsson, and Braden Schneider. All stepped up in the victory over Carolina.

While Laviolette can keep Miller and Trouba paired together, he’ll have to get creative with Lindgren, who’ll be without his defense partner. It could be a mix of Gustafsson and Schneider, who’s the only right-shooting defenseman left after Trouba.

An Opportunity for Jones

The Fox injury opens up an opportunity for Zac Jones to get in the lineup. A forgotten player who was re-signed to a one-way deal, he’s only played in one game. That was back on Oct. 14 in a loss at Columbus. Now 23, the clock is ticking on Jones to prove he belongs in the league. If not, as a Ranger, perhaps he can play well enough to become a trade target for another team to consider.

Jones’ strengths are his skating and offensive capabilities. His weaknesses are his size and strength, which can be exposed defensively. Here’s a chance to show that he can be relied on. If he struggles, Laviolette won’t hesitate to insert Connor Mackey, who was recalled on Friday from Hartford. A 27-year-old veteran with 39 NHL games underneath his belt.

Chytil Placed on Injured Reserve

The Rangers will also be minus Filip Chytil. The center was placed on the injured reserve yesterday. He left Thursday’s game during the second period with an undisclosed injury. It isn’t certain when he’ll be back. In 10 games, he has six assists. Chytil found some chemistry centering Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere on the second line. They’ve been an effective trio at even strength, creating offense on both the rush and forecheck.

Without Chytil, Trocheck could be moved up to play with Panarin and Lafreniere. He’s played well in a checking role, centering Will Cuylle and Blake Wheeler. They’ve been effective on the cycle due to their tenacity. Trocheck has been counted on defensively. He’s won 62.7 percent of faceoffs this season. Laviolette hasn’t been shy about using him on key draws in both the offensive and defensive zone. That’s how well he’s played.

If Trocheck gets bumped up, it’s possible that Jonny Brodzinski could fill the role on the third line. He was brought up on Friday to replace Chytil on the roster. A serviceable player who’s been reliable when called upon the past two years, Brodzinski likely will be in the lineup tonight at the Wild. If he plays over Tyler Pitlick, it’s due to him being a center. A necessity for the Rangers.

Laviolette could also move Nick Bonino up to the third line. However, the chemistry he has with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey on the fourth line should be considered. Although they haven’t provided much offense, that trio has been noticeable during shifts. They are defensively responsible, which is an area Laviolette emphasizes.

In the win over the Canes, he wasn’t shy about giving both Goodrow and Bonino more shifts in the third period. They both did a good job when called upon.

Rangers Face Adversity

How much will the losses of Fox and Chytil affect the Rangers? That depends on how they respond to adversity. Under previous coaches, it wasn’t good enough. However, they seem to respond well to Laviolette’s hands-on approach.

It’ll be an interesting challenge. We’ll learn more about the team with what’s ahead.

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Shorthanded Rangers Show Grit and Determination in Win Over Hurricanes

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Derek

Following a great road trip to conclude October, the Rangers had an early litmus test with the Hurricanes on the calendar for their first game of November. It lived up to the hype. Showing plenty of grit and determination, the Rangers came away with a hard fought 2-1 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday night.

They won their sixth in a row to stay atop the Metropolitan Division. With seven wins in their first nine games, these Rangers are proving themselves in the early part of the schedule. Unlike last season, they grind away. That was on display in edging a good opponent who prides itself on its work ethic.

The difference was a goal scored by rookie Will Cuylle with less than 10 minutes left in the third period. It was the only five-on-five goal scored in the game. He drove to the net and finished off a Jacob Trouba pass for his first career game-winner.

Aho Hit Forces Fox to Leave Game

During the first period, Rangers defenseman Adam Fox was hit by Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho knee on knee. After going down, he mildly protested to the refs about it being a missed call.

Fox took another shift before leaving the game with a lower-body injury. With the Rangers traveling to Minnesota to face the Wild on Saturday, the team had no official update on Fox. Both he and Filip Chytil will be re-evaluated. Chytil also exited the contest late in the second period following an incidental collision with former Ranger Jesper Fast.

Regarding the Aho play on Fox, it’s hard to tell if he stuck his leg out. It looked accidental. Unfortunately, there are plays where two players are going at full speed in the opposite direction. At the last split second, Fox ducked to brace himself for Aho, who couldn’t avoid him. No penalty was called on the play.

In the third period, Alexis Lafreniere challenged Aho. He declined the fight. Instead, Andrei Svechnikov jumped in and played peacemaker. Lafreniere exchanged words with Hurricanes forward Stefan Noesen between the benches.

Although they won the game later on Cuylle’s go-ahead tally, seeing the Rangers stick together was another positive sign. Lafreniere took up for Fox in a tightly contested game. There was lots of character shown by the guys in the blue jerseys at MSG on Thursday night.

Kreider Gets Another Power Play Goal

Early in the game, the Hurricanes got caught with too many men on the ice for a bench minor. That gave the Rangers’ second ranked power play a chance to cash in. Chris Kreider continued his hot start by getting another power-play goal.

After Vincent Trocheck had a pass bank off a Hurricane right to Artemi Panarin, he moved down and sent a nifty backhand feed across that Kreider buried for his team-leading fifth on the power play. Kreider’s five power-play goals lead the NHL this season.

Last season, he couldn’t duplicate the success he had in 2021-22 when he scored a Rangers’ single season franchise record 26 power-play goals. Instead, Kreider only had eight in 2022-23. He scored 24 even strength goals while adding a team best four shorthanded goals. If he continues to finish on the man-advantage, Kreider could be in line for a big season. He’ll need to find more success with linemate Mika Zibanejad at even strength.

Trouba Steps Up

When Fox exited the game due to an injury, that meant more ice time for Trouba. The Rangers’ captain was up to the challenge. He and defense partner K’Andre Miller were outstanding defensively.

Both asserted themselves well to make life difficult on the Hurricanes. They logged the big minutes at five-on-five. Trouba played a team-high 24:56 in 30 shifts with over 23 coming at even strength. He blocked three shots and had two hits along with the primary assist on Cuylle’s game-winner.

Miller logged 23:53 over 28 shifts with two hits and a blocked shot. He and Trouba had sound positioning throughout the game. They each made strong defensive plays to stifle the Hurricanes’ attack. They’ve been in sync since the perfect road trip. The shutdown pair has been more consistent so far this season. They’re a big reason for the 7-2-0 start.

Shesterkin Makes Key Saves

Igor Shesterkin finished the game with 26 saves. That included turning aside a dozen Carolina shots in the deciding period. His best save came during a Hurricanes’ surge late in the third. With over four minutes remaining in regulation, he got over to thwart Martin Necas.

The clutch stop came following a wide shot from Brady Skjei that came right to Necas in the slot. Shesterkin reached out with his glove to keep the puck out with 4:10 left. He heard it from the crowd who serenaded him with “Ig-or, Ig-or,” chants.

Shesterkin made the key saves when he had to. He made good stops on Teuvo Teravainen, Jaccob Slavin, and Tony DeAngelo. It’s that high level of goaltending that the 27-year-old can supply for the Rangers. The win was his fourth straight. He’s made the last three starts, posting a 1.94 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .933 save percentage.

Cuylle Hand Luke Delivers

With the game hanging in the balance, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette stuck out Barclay Goodrow with Cuylle and Blake Wheeler for a shift. At the time, he was mixing and matching due to the Chytil injury. Goodrow moved up to center for that shift. It proved large.

On some good sustained pressure down low that included a nice stick lift by Wheeler, Goodrow got the puck over for a pinching Trouba in the corner. He found a wide open Cuylle in front for the crucial game-winning goal with 9:39 remaining in the third period.

It was Cuylle’s second goal of the season. His first goal since Oct. 14. The 21-year-old forward had a good game. Prior to that shift, he made a strong power move in the slot and tested Andersen with a good shot that the Canes’ goalie Frederik Andersen stopped. In 11:50 of ice time, Cuylle had a goal, three shots-on-goal, and six attempts.

Fourth Line Contributes

In a hard fought game where there wasn’t much space, Laviolette sent out his fourth line for a key shift late in the contest. Protecting a one-goal lead, the trio of Nick Bonino, Goodrow, and Jimmy Vesey put together a strong forecheck in the Carolina zone that ate up precious time. The hard work was appreciated by fans, who cheered.

Goodrow nearly had his first goal of the season. However, with the Canes’ net empty, he just missed scoring with the clock winding down. It didn’t matter. He was out there to finish the game. The Rangers earned the victory.

Brodzinski Recalled From Hartford

With the status of Chytil uncertain due to what the Rangers termed an “upper-body” injury, they recalled center Jonny Brodzinski from Hartford. A solid depth player who’s been reliable when he’s been called up, Brodzinski leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 11 points (6-5-11) seven games. The 30-year-old could make his season debut for the Rangers on Saturday night at Minnesota.

Trocheck Continues Faceoff Dominance

If there’s been a consistent forward who’s flown under the radar, it’s been Trocheck. He continues to dominate in the faceoff circle. In an early game versus his former team, Trocheck went 14-for-20 on faceoffs.

The breakdown was 8-for-11 in the offensive zone and 6-for-9 in the defensive zone. His success at the dots allowed the Rangers to win the faceoff battle, 32-30 for the game. Bonino was also good, going 6 and 4.

The Defense Rests

After Fox went down in the first period, that forced Laviolette to roll five defensemen. While Trouba and Miller did most of the heavy lifting, the trio of Ryan Lindgren, Erik Gustafsson, and Braden Schneider all had solid games. Each did a good job.

Lindgren led the Rangers with four blocks. Schneider had three hits. Gustafsson played well defensively, making a couple of nice recoveries.

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Rangers’ Perfect Road Trip A Reason for Excitement

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Derek

Flashback to a disjointed 4-1 loss at home to the Predators on Oct. 19. The Rangers were booed off the ice by impatient fans. They were back to 2-2-0 with a big road trip on the horizon.

Two weeks later, they returned with a perfect road trip to move into the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Indeed, the Rangers went 5-0 on a challenging Northwestern swing that included stops at Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver before running the table in Monday night’s exciting 3-2 overtime win over Winnipeg.

Related: Rangers Outlast The Canucks Thanks to Shesterkin’s Clutch Saves in Overtime

Two days following an emotional 5-4 overtime win over the Canucks, the Rangers fought back in the third period to tie the Jets on a Chris Kreider tip-in for a power-play goal. Igor Shesterkin then supplied the clutch goaltending by robbing Cole Perfetti of the go-ahead goal late in regulation to push the game to overtime.

Panarin Sets Up Zibanejad For Winner

If there’s been one constant in the early going, it’s been the play of Artemi Panarin. The Rangers’ leading scorer continued his torrid start by scoring his fifth goal and setting up Mika Zibanejad for the overtime winner.

On a play started by K’Andre Miller, who’s picked it up following a slow start, he dropped the puck for Panarin. He then drew the Jets’ attention before sending a pass across for a quick Zibanejad one-timer from the left circle that beat Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck with only 26 seconds left in overtime.

That gave Zibanejad goals in back-to-back games. Previously, he didn’t have one in his first seven games. Sometimes, getting one goal is all it takes for a player to get back on track. That’s a positive sign. He’ll look to keep it going when the Hurricanes visit MSG on Thursday.

Related: Panarin Rewards Laviolette’s Faith With A Dominant Performance In Rangers’ Win Over Kraken

As for Panarin, he extended his point streak to nine straight. He celebrated his 32nd birthday in style by adding a goal and two helpers – hiking his point total to 15 (5-10-15). It’s all working for the Bread Man. His more aggressive shoot first mindset has been front and center during the Rangers’ 7-2-0 start. He leads them with four even strength goals, 10 assists and 33 shots-on-goal.

It’s Miller Time

Entering his fourth season, Miller signed a two-year contract worth $7.74 million. With an average cap hit of $3.872 million comes increased expectations. So far, the 23-year-old defenseman has been good in the Rangers’ first nine games.

After a tough start that included a bad game against Nashville, Miller has picked it up considerably. On the five-game road trip, he played more consistently by defending better and getting more involved offensively.

It was indeed Miller time. In the five games (all wins), he had a goal and five assists for six points with a plus-six rating. In last night’s win, he tallied two assists. He helped set up Panarin in the first period. With the game up for grabs in an overtime mostly controlled by the Jets, Miller helped create the winner by getting the puck to Panarin, who then set up Zibanejad.

Even better, Miller and partner Jacob Trouba are rounding into form. They’re counted on by the coaching staff to draw the tough assignments at even strength. Both are getting it done. Another good sign for the Rangers.

Trocheck Continues Faceoff Dominance

One player who’s flown under the radar so far is Vincent Trocheck. Playing a different role under Rangers’ coach Peter Laviolette, he’s centering the third line that comprises Will Cuylle and Blake Wheeler. While he’s still asked to contribute offensively, the 30-year-old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native is being relied on to win faceoffs. An area he’s excelled at.

In Monday’s win, Trocheck won 15 of 23 faceoffs for a 65.2 percent success rate. Laviolette uses him for key draws in both the offensive and defensive zone. On the power play, Trocheck went 3 for 5 on the five-on-four. He also took eight defensive draws, finishing 5 and 3. He went a perfect 6 for 6 in the neutral zone at five-on-five.

So far, Trocheck has won 61.8 percent of faceoffs in nine games. He’s gone 102 and 63. He’s taken the most draws on the Rangers. His success helps them win hockey games.

Kreider Clutch

With the Rangers trailing by a goal with less than seven minutes remaining in the third period, Kreider delivered in the clutch on the power play.

After Will Cuylle drew a boarding minor on Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon, Adam Fox took a Panarin feed and passed down low for a Kreider tip-in that tied the contest with 6:48 left. It was Kreider’s team-leading sixth goal. He also leads them with four power-play goals.

If there’s one area he can be counted on, it’s on the man-advantage. Kreider continues to make a living in front of the net. Possessing some of the best hands in the game, he remains a consistent force at scoring on deflections. It’s a skill that should be appreciated. He works hard at it, which is why he’s successful.

Foxy Returns

A player the Rangers count on for offense is Fox. The anchor of the blue line had an impact on the perfect five-game road trip. The returns were good.

In five games, Fox had two goals with four assists for six points. That included a pair of power-play goals in wins over the Oilers and Canucks. Both were scored in close with Fox in a good position to bury each. It was a different wrinkle.

Credit assistant coach Michael Peca. He’s done a good job so far with the Rangers’ power-play. They rank second in the NHL on the power-play, converting at a 34.4 percent rate (11-for-32).

Fox is tied with the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes for first in scoring among defensemen with 11 points (3-8-11) this season. He’ll look to continue that trend when the Rangers host the Hurricanes on Thursday night.

What’s Ahead

After finishing October with a 7-2-0 record, the Rangers begin November tomorrow night at home with Carolina visiting. It should be a good litmus test to see where they are. The Hurricanes have won three in a row to turn around a slow start. They bring a 6-4-0 record into play.

Following the home game, the Rangers will visit the Wild on Saturday night. They then return home for a three-game homestand, which begins next Tuesday, November 7, against the Red Wings. The Wild pay a visit on 11/9. The Rangers conclude the homestand with a game against the Blue Jackets on 11/12.

A four-game road trip doesn’t start until 11/18 at the Devils. The Rangers will also visit the Stars, Penguins, and Flyers. They conclude November with three home games versus the Bruins, Sabres, and Red Wings.

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Rangers outlast the Canucks thanks to Shesterkin’s clutch saves in overtime

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Derek

The Rangers came away with a 4-3 overtime win over the Canucks on Saturday night in Vancouver. It wouldn’t have been possible without the brilliant play of Igor Shesterkin. He made 30 saves to help the Rangers make it four straight wins on the road.

In an exciting game that featured plenty of offense on special teams, along with hitting and momentum swings, it was Shesterkin that made the ultimate difference. Fresh after getting Thursday (Oct. 26) off, the former Vezina winner made some clutch saves against the dangerous Canucks.

Shesterkin Robs Kuzmenko

None were bigger than the pair of stops he made to deny Andrei Kuzmenko in overtime. With the trio of Vincent Trocheck, K’Andre Miller, and Kaapo Kakko out of gas, Kuzmenko made a great move around Trocheck to get in on Shesterkin. After making the first save, Shesterkin made a big glove stop to rob Kuzmenko of the game-winner.

That allowed the Rangers to find a way to grab the extra point. Shesterkin made several key saves during regulation to give his team a chance. They weren’t as good last night. That had a lot to do with the Canucks, who created plenty of offense with their skill and speed.

Special Teams A Factor

It was a tightly contested game. There were a lot of battles between both teams. It was also called tight by the refs. Special teams were a factor. There were a dozen power plays with each side receiving six. Almost every goal was scored when it wasn’t five-on-five.

The Rangers took advantage of their opportunities. They connected on 3 of 6 power plays. That included scoring on both halves of a crucial man-advantage in the third period when the Canucks ran into penalty trouble.

Photo via Getty Images

With the game tied, Phil Di Giuseppe high-sticked Mika Zibanejad, drawing blood. That gave the Rangers a four-minute power play. After having given up a shorthanded goal to Tyler Myers at the start of it on an Adam Fox turnover, they caught a break when the Canucks were whistled for a bench minor.

Suddenly, on a five-on-three, the Rangers cashed in thanks to an Artemi Panarin pasx down low for a Fox deflection that allowed him to redeem himself. It was the second game in a row he scored a power play goal. All three of his goals have come on the power play. Last season, he only scored once on the power play.

Zibanejad Finally Gets One

Entering the game, Mika Zibanejad had been unable to score in the Rangers’ first seven games. He’d come close. But nothing was going in. That finally changed. He got one on the second part of the power play to break through.

With the game tied at three, the Rangers still had a five-on-four due to the double minor on Di Giuseppe. Coach Peter Laviolette sent out the top unit for the key sequence that led to Zibanejad getting his first goal of the season.

Following a couple of missed shots from Zibanejad and Panarin, the Rangers worked the puck in front for a point blank chance from Chris Kreider that Canucks’ goalie Casey DeSmith stopped. However, the puck rebounded right to Zibanejad, who buried a quick one-timer into an open net to give the Rangers a one-goal lead with 6:36 left in regulation.

It’s important for Zibanejad to get going. He’s counted on for offense. A streaky scorer, maybe the big goal will allow him to relax. Once one goes in, it could start him on a hot streak. He’s too good a player not to heat up.

Chytil Penalty Hurts

After taking the lead with less than seven minutes remaining, the Rangers couldn’t put the Canucks away. Instead, Filip Chytil took an ill-advised penalty for closing his hand on the puck. The minor hurt.

Although the Rangers’ penalty kill limited the dangerous Canucks’ power play to two shots that Shesterkin handled, they were unable to get settled in at even strength. After the penalty expired, Vancouver kept the play alive. Anthony Beauvillier and Filip Hronek combined to set up Carson Soucy for a high-rising shot that beat Shesterkin through traffic. That tied things up with 4:18 left.

Panarin’s Hot Start Continues

Entering play, Panarin recorded a point in all seven games. He continued his hot start by scoring his fourth on the power play and later adding his eighth helper on a Fox tip-in.

He scored the first goal of the contest on the power play. After Zibanejad had a pass for Vincent Trocheck bank off his skate, the loose puck came to Panarin at the right point. He settled the puck down and moved to the middle to fire a wrist shot past DeSmith for the lead before 10 minutes had expired.

With Panarin continuing to look for his shot more, he’s getting positive results. By shooting the puck, it makes him less predictable. Opponents can’t just wait for the pass. They also must pay attention to his shot. He’d later add an assist on the Fox power play tally, giving him a team-leading 12 points.

Kreider’s Great Play Leads to Winner

With nothing settled in regulation, the Rangers and Canucks needed overtime at Rogers Arena. The three-on-three didn’t disappoint. It was wide open. Both sides went for it. That’s where Shesterkin was at his best, making six saves, including the flat-out denials on Kuzmenko.

The Rangers were able to get the win thanks to a great play from Kreider that led to the winner. With the Canucks up in arms over what they felt was a missed call that saw Elias Pettersson spill to the ice, the play went in the opposite direction.

In transition, Kreider drew two Canucks to him. He then sent a perfect pass across for a K’Andre Miller blast that won the game with 72 seconds left in overtime.

Miller was the beneficiary of a heads-up play from Kreider. Not known for his playmaking, the Rangers’ fifth all-time leading goalscorer was patient enough to wait before distributing the puck for an open Miller to give the Rangers their fourth consecutive win. It was a terrific play from one of the best Rangers’ first round picks. When his career is over, Kreider could one day take his place up in the Garden rafters.

Rangers Aim for Perfect Road Trip

On Monday night, the Rangers will visit the Jets in Winnipeg. They will aim for a perfect road trip. They’re 4-for-4 so far with wins over the Kraken, Flames, Oilers, and Canucks. If they can win tomorrow, it will highlight a great trip.

With the victory on Saturday night, they improved to 5-1-0 on the road. The Rangers remain first in the Metropolitan Division with a 6-2-0 record.

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Devils’ rolller-coaster week showcases their talent and flaws

Posted on October 28, 2023 by hasan4978

Given how nutty the NHL schedule is with one game in over a week followed by four games in six nights, maybe it’s fitting Devils games themselves have become a roller-coaster ride this season. What matters (so far) is that the results have been there with a 4-2-1 start, and for the moment there are no major injuries – though Nico Hischier had to leave last night’s game against the Sabres twice after a cheapshot from Connor Clifton (who was given a major and match penalty), his absence from the third period was termed precautionary for the moment. Fortunately, the team rallied around their captain in a back-and-forth game to get a hard-fought 5-4 win against the Sabres but we’ll get back to that more in a bit.

Just in these last three games you’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly with the Devils. Let’s start with the good – their 5-2 win in Montreal on Tuesday, clearly the team’s most complete performance in their first six games to date. Despite again giving up the first goal (which has happened in all seven games now), New Jersey gradually took control of the match. Alexander Holtz’s backhand rebound goal just as a Devils power play had expired was key. Although the Devils dominated the second period, it wasn’t until late in the middle frame where they finally took the lead for good when Tyler Toffoli scored the first goal in what turned out to be a hat trick night against one of his former teams.

Our power play stayed hot…after the aforementioned Holtz goal early which all but came on the power play, the Devils’ man advantage led to two more goals in the first several minutes of the third…captain Hischier finally got on the board for his first of the season thirty-four seconds into the third, then Toffoli got his second of the night at 7:17 to widen the Devils’ lead to 4-1. Fittingly, it was Toffoli who sealed the game with an empty-netter that got him his hat trick and the Devils a relatively comfortable (in the end) 5-2 win while Jack Hughes had the quietest four-point night ever given that they were all assists and overshadowed by his linemate’s hat trick.

That was on Tuesday, the less said about the following night’s home game against the Caps the better – or at least the first and third periods. Figures that I actually allowed myself to think before the game this was the first time in like a decade I had any reasonable expectation for beating the Caps in a game, with their arrow trending down and ours trending up. Three first-period goals later I was once again annoyed at both this team’s penchant for bad starts and its regressing goaltending. Two of the goals were clearly howlers by Akira Schmid, who’s definitely off to a sophomore slump this season (to the tune of a 4.07 GAA and .863 save percentage in his three starts). Small sample size yes, but he’s been so bad I’m actually starting to think in terms of it might be time for a reset in Utica if this continues through another game or two.

Don’t let the bad goaltending mask the fact the team just didn’t show up for the first period either. You can give up a two-on-one with poor defense and decision making and still have goalies give up a goal on a bad shot, we gave up two-on-ones and breakaways galore Thursday night. I’m sure there were words exchanged in the locker room after the first period since the team came out with Game 7 in a playoff series type urgency in the second, turning a three-goal deficit into a lead in the space of just five and a half minutes when it was raining goals at the Prudential Center. A red-hot Toffoli had the first and last goals of this surge at 4:31 and 10:01. In between, Timo Meier finally got his first of the year while Hischier got his second in two games. And Jack? Just another three assists that period, continuing his march for a lot of major awards this year.

You would have thought at that point the Devils would see things through…but a bad shift at the end of the second period led to a Nico penalty, which led to an early Caps power play goal in the third period that sucked all the momentum out of the building. After Vitek Vanecek had done a fine job in relief of Schmid in the second period, he gave up a clunker of his own when the Caps took the lead just 2:09 into the third period. I pretty much went from thinking we were going to win to knowing we were going to lose at that point, sure enough the Devils looked almost as dead in the third period as they did in the first with an Alex Ovechkin empty-netter finally sealing our inevitable fate.

I wasn’t happy after Wednesday, and was a bit annoyed even before the start of Friday’s game, and not just because Lindy Ruff had benched Holtz in the third period against the Caps and demoted him to the Mike McLeod line for Friday’s game, but also because I had to jump through hoops just to use one of my season ticket rewards for the game. I’d picked club seats for a game, but since there’s supposedly so much demand they reneged on club seats and offered Prudential lounge passes in its place.

Never having been there before (it’s relatively new) I had no idea what that really entailed. I thought it was just a different kind of arena sitting like the club or the restaurant between the first and second levels, and since that pass has a QR code I figured I could just use that pass to get into the arena and then find the lounge when inside. As a result I sold my ticket for the game, only finding out when I got there that you need to enter with your game ticket – and at the main entrance at that, you can’t even enter at the area just outside the arena where it says Prudential Lounge! – then they’ll let you into the lounge. Fortunately, I figured this kind of thing might happen so I was prepared to use the Devils’ ticket swap option to trade in a future game for another ticket to last night if need be, which I wound up having to do on the spot.

The lounge basically had club seat food, only with no direct access to any seat in the arena, and a few TV’s on mute so being there during the game isn’t that ideal. As a result, I stayed long enough to sample enough food, then went up to my seat with a bottled water midway through the first period. My seat wasn’t that bad all things considered though it’s a bit confusing in section 228 realizing the first row is actually row two given the way the nearby sections are configured. I saw the first half of the first period game on one of the aforementioned mute TV’s – which was enough to see another clunker goal given up by a goalie (this time Vitek), followed by a surprising Holtz goal on the fourth line. Guess Lindy’s a genius after all, hah.

I did get to my seat in time to see Clifton’s cheap shot and resulting match penalty, which came seconds after Tage Thompson gave the Sabres back the lead. Of course the NHL being the NHL, they also took two minutes off our major power play for an instigator on Ondrej Palat – inarguably his best contribution of the season so far in standing up for the captain. Ironically our only goal during the major came during the four-on-four during Palat’s instigator penalty when Jesper Bratt avenged his buddy with a goal to tie the game again. You would have liked to get a goal on the actual power play, but given how effective it’s been this season it’s hard to be mad at a rare time it failed. Still, the game was another evidence of what has been ugly this season – meaning Devils goaltending. Although to be fair to Vitek, he came up big during the second period when the Devils short-circuited.

It really was that bad, but surprisingly the Devils went in front in spite of themselves, and on a Sabres power play no less when Erik Haula scored a short-handed breakaway to give the Devils their first lead of the night. Back and forth we went once again when Rasmus Dahlin tied the game again just a few minutes later, and it remained tied through the second intermission. Atoning for their earlier sin of not scoring on the Nico major, the Devils’ power play did get on the board early in the third when – who else? – Hughes scored in what was a disputed goal, seemed like nobody could tell who scored it for some reason. I thought it was a Timo tip-in, my buddy at home thought it was Toffoli and at the arena they announced it as…McLeod’s goal? Judge for yourself, but no doubt you’ll be able to score it better than whoever gave McLeod credit for a goal he wasn’t even on the ice for. Devils Twitter first identified Timo as the goalscorer, then Toffoli.

Whoever scored, it gave the Devils an early third period lead which shockingly they looked ready to hold this time, playing excellent lockdown defense in giving the Sabres’ high powered offense only four shots in the third period (outshooting them 17-4 total). Unfortunately…one of those shots was a weak wrister from Dylan Cozens that trickled through Vitek, who rode the biggest roller coaster of all. I’ve seen goalies be inconsistent game to game but a goalie who’s up and down IN THE SAME GAME?! At least this time, the Devils’ suddenly shaky goaltending didn’t cost them as Haula played hero again with a tip-in goal less than two minutes after Cozens scored to give the Devils their third – and final lead – of the night. This time there would be no mistakes and Vitek even stopped a couple of…stoppable shots late to seal the win. Praise be to small wonders.

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Rangers Get Quick Results in Shutout of Oilers

Posted on October 27, 2023 by Derek

When the Rangers signed Jonathan Quick in the off-season, it was for games like the one he delivered on Thursday night at Edmonton. The Rangers got Quick results in a 3-0 shutout win over the Oilers.

Facing a struggling team without superstar Connor McDavid (upper-body injury), they took advantage to improve to a perfect 3-0 on the five-game road trip. So far, the Rangers have outscored opponents 10-2 in the three victories. They sit atop the Metropolitan Division with a 5-2-0 record.

Quick On Top Of His Game

So far, so good. Making his second start of the season, Quick was on top of his game. After stopping 18 of 19 shots in a win over the Kraken on Oct. 21, the former King returned to the net five days later to face the Oilers.

He certainly made Rangers’ coach Peter Laviolette look smart. Quick was sharp throughout the game, making 29 saves to pick up his first shutout as a Ranger. It was the 59th of his career. That tied him with Evgeni Nabokov for 20th on the all-time NHL shutout list. Only Marc-Andre Fleury has more among active goalies.

Although he didn’t have to contend with McDavid, Quick still had to face the dangerous Leon Draisaitl. One of the game’s best players, the former league MVP, created a few scoring chances during the game. Quick was up for the challenge. His best saves came on Draisaitl and Zach Hyman. He also denied Darnell Nurse.

Most notable was how aggressive he was. Known for an unorthodox style that makes him exciting to watch, Quick challenges shooters. He was on top of his crease to make several key stops. He had good rebound control to stifle the Oilers.

Offense Comes to Life in Big Second Period

After a scoreless first period in which Oilers’ goalie Stuart Skinner was good with his best save coming on a Filip Chytil point blank chance, the Rangers offense came to life in a big second period.

They outscored the Oilers 3-0 and out-shot them 18-13 in the period. The game’s first goal came on the power play. After Alexis Lafreniere drew a high-sticking minor on Warren Foegle, the Rangers’ top unit went to work.

On a nice passing play that was started by leading scorer Artemi Panarin, he moved the puck over to Vincent Trocheck in the right circle. Trocheck immediately sent a good pass across for a wide open Adam Fox in the left circle to bury a one-timer high, short side for his first power play goal of the season.

It was a simple wheel around play that began following a Skinner stop on a Fox shot from the right circle. The former Harvard standout wisely went around the net and got open on the opposite side for the power play tally.

Schneider Scores First Goal

With the game still hanging in the balance halfway through, Braden Schneider scored his first goal of the season. It came in transition on a good shot that went far side to give the Rangers a two-goal lead.

After Fox got the puck up for Jimmy Vesey, he made a perfect pass for a pinching Schneider, who just stayed onside to get the Rangers’ second goal of the period. He fired a laser by Skinner inside the top of the net.

Before they dropped the puck, the refs got together to review the scoring play. Barclay Goodrow made a good line change at the Rangers’ bench while the puck was entering the Edmonton zone. The officials took a long look at whether Schneider was able to control the puck at the blue line. The replay showed that he did. That made it a good goal.

Schneider had his best game so far finishing with a goal and an assist in 16:41. After a slow start, he’s been better over the last two games. A positive sign for the Rangers.

Lafreniere Stays Hot

If there’s been a good development on the road trip, it’s been the play of Lafreniere. He stayed hot by scoring for the third consecutive game with under two minutes remaining in the second.

He continues to find chemistry with Panarin. On a good outlet from Schneider, up to Panarin, he gained entry and found an open Lafreniere in the right circle for a quick one-timer that gave the Rangers a three-goal lead.

Panarin drew two Oilers to him, which left Lafreniere wide open. It made for an easy pass across that the more confident Lafreniere buried for his fourth. He’s been more instinctive. It’s netted positive results. His four goals rank second on the team behind Chris Kreider (5). Both he and Panarin lead the Rangers with three even strength goals.

The more he plays with Panarin and former Kid Line center Filip Chytil, the better he looks. If the early start is any indication, it could be a breakout season for Lafreniere.

Cuylle Has Goal Overturned

During the third period, Will Cuylle thought he had a goal. On a good play from a more noticeable Blake Wheeler, he made a backhand feed in front that banked in off Cuylle’s back skate with 6:31 left.

Judging from the video replays, it looked like it should’ve been Cuylle’s second goal. Instead, a lengthy review determined that it was a kicking motion. A tough call that went against the Rangers. It was the fourth time they’ve had a goal overturned.

The controversial ruling wiped out a good play from Wheeler, who had his most impactful game. Facing an opponent he’s done well against, the former Jets’ captain was much more involved on the forecheck. He also had four shots-on-goal in 11:22. If he can continue to improve his play, it would solidify the third line. The Rangers are counting on him.

Zibanejad Still Without A Goal

When the Rangers visit the Canucks on Saturday night, they’ll look to make it 4-for-4. They’ve played well in winning the first three games of a road trip that concludes at Winnipeg on Oct. 30. If there’s a key player who can use a big game, it’s Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad is still without a goal.

The number one centerman is off to a slow start. He still has five assists in seven games. However, the 30-year-old Zibanejad needs to start burying a few. Counted on to score at both even strength and the power play, he’s fired blanks so far. He’s had enough chances to get on the scoreboard. At some point, they have to start going in.

Zibanejad has always been a streaky scorer. It isn’t time to panic. Eventually, he’ll score one and get hot.

Road Warriors

It’s early. But the Rangers have been road warriors. They’ve won four of five away from home. They’ll look to continue that trend on Saturday when they visit the Canucks.

Alexis Lafreniere via Getty Images
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Rangers’ Lafreniere Continues To Improve in Win Over Flames

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Derek

On Tuesday night, the Rangers skated away with a 3-1 victory over the Flames in Calgary. The win improved them to two-for-two on a five-game road trip that concludes at Winnipeg on Oct. 30.

After a sluggish start that saw them fall behind on an early Blake Coleman goal, the Rangers finally picked up their play in the second half of a sloppy first period that included several odd man rushes. Fortunately, Igor Shesterkin was sharp, making a couple of big saves on high-quality chances.

Lafreniere Finding Chemistry with Panarin

One player who continues to improve is Alexis Lafreniere. The 22-year-old former 2020 top pick is showing more confidence during shifts while playing with Artemi Panarin. They are finding chemistry with Filip Chytil, who, after a blown assignment on Coleman’s goal, bounced back by setting up two of the Rangers’ three goals.

Related: Panarin Rewards Laviolette’s Faith With A Dominant Performance

Although they were far from their best in a period where each team had eight shots, the Rangers were led by the second line. On a takeaway made by Lafreniere in the neutral zone, he then gained entry and sent a good backhand pass into Panarin’s wheelhouse for a one-timer that just missed over the top. It was a great read that nearly resulted in the tying goal.

Shesterkin Comes Up Big

After allowing Coleman to score before two minutes had been played at the start, Shesterkin was at his best. He made some timely saves to keep the Rangers within a goal. On a Nazem Kadri blow-by past a stationary Braden Schneider, Shesterkin stayed right with Kadri to force his backhand over the net. He’d also stop Kadri a bit later.

His best work came during the third period. With the Rangers protecting a two-goal lead, they played cautiously. That allowed the Flames to open it up. They created several quality scoring chances. Shesterkin was there to shut the door, making nine saves in the final frame to earn his third win of the season.

Shesterkin’s best stops came on Kadri and Nikita Zadorov, who had a nice rush in transition that the Rangers’ goalie thwarted. He also got over to deny Mikael Backlund.

There were some close calls. With the Flames pressuring, Elias Lindholm hit the goalpost. Later in the period, Kadri just missed a tip-in. Andrew Mangiapane whistled a dangerous shot from the slot wide.

When it was over, Shesterkin finished with 23 saves. While that wasn’t a lot, he had to be very good due to the quality of the Flames’ shots. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.

Zibanejad Getting Closer

If there’s a key player to the Rangers’ offense, it’s Mika Zibanejad. The top center hasn’t scored a goal yet in six games. However, he’s getting closer.

Late in the first period, some strong defensive work led to Zibanejad getting a mini-break on Jacob Markstrom. After taking the puck from his own zone, he turned on the jets to move in on Markstrom. But Zibanejad’s forehand shot missed over the crossbar.

On the same shift, a good keep in by Kaapo Kakko created a two-on-one down low for Chris Kreider and Zibanejad. Kreider set up Zibanejad for a quick wrist shot that Markstrom made a good save on. If he continues to get chances like that, it won’t be long before Zibanejad scores and gets hot.

Lafreniere Rewards Laviolette on the Power Play

Entering the season, one of the hot topics was how much time the second unit would get on the power play. Underutilized by former coach Gerard Gallant, that’s no longer the case. Rangers’ coach Peter Laviolette has played that unit and gotten early results.

On a key power play during the second period, Lafreniere rewarded Laviolette on the power play. After the top unit couldn’t muster anything, the second unit came on and tied the game.

It was Lafreniere who was able to tip in an Erik Gustafsson shot for his third of the season. After Chytil passed up top for Gustafsson, he let a wrist shot go that Lafreniere redirected past Markstrom for the game-tying goal.

Even better, the power play goal featured four Rangers 24 or younger. On the scoring play, rookie Will Cuylle was also set up in the slot looking for a deflection. Only 21, he’s played with enough confidence for Laviolette to trust him. With the exception of Gustafsson, who would later score a big insurance marker, it included Chytil (24), Cuylle (21), Kakko (22), and goalscorer Lafreniere (22).

That didn’t happen the last two years.

Kreider Delivers His Specialty

After killing off a pair of Flames’ power plays earlier in the second period, the Rangers cashed in on theirs to take the lead. Kreider delivered his specialty.

Following Laviolette rewarding the second unit by starting them on the man-advantage, the first unit came on for a change. Once they got set up, Adam Fox passed the puck over for a Panarin shot pass that Kreider neatly redirected for the go-ahead power play goal with 5:51 left.

One of the best in the business when it comes to scoring on tips in front, Kreider simply got position to Markstrom’s side and scored his team-leading third power play goal. He also leads the Rangers with five goals.

The goal was the 270th of Kreider’s career. He’s fifth on the all-time franchise goal scoring list. Rangers’ legend Andy Bathgate is fourth with 272. It won’t be long before he overtakes him. Then, Kreider can chase down Adam Graves (280) for third.

By the time his career is over, he’ll go down as one of the greatest finishers in Rangers’ history. Kreider is up to 95 power play goals, which ranks fifth on the franchise list. He’s five shy of Graves for fourth.

Gustafsson Comes Through

It’s been a good start for Gustafsson. He was signed by general manager Chris Drury to bolster the blue line. After having an impressive training camp, the 31-year-old veteran has been steady so far.

In last night’s win, Gustafsson came through. After picking up the primary assist on Lafreniere’s tally earlier in the second, it was some hustle from Gustafsson that led to a big goal during a four-on-four.

K’Andre Miller got the puck over for Chytil, whose long wrist shot rebounded off Markstrom. With a scramble in front, a diving Gustafsson put the loose puck in to give the Rangers three straight goals in the period. His goal and assist were a key part of the win.

Chytil is Heating Up

Another positive over the last two games has been the play of Chytil. Now the Rangers’ second line center, he’s continuing to improve as a player. After a slow start to the season, Chytil is heating up.

After setting a new career high with three assists in the 4-1 win over the Kraken on Oct. 21, he was a factor in helping the Rangers improve to 4-2-0.

He made up for a coverage mistake on the Coleman goal by elevating his play. That included setting up Gustafsson for his shot that Lafreniere scored on to tie the game. He added a primary helper on Gustafsson’s goal that made it 3-1 with just over three minutes left in the second.

For the season, Chytil has a team-leading six assists in half a dozen games. Although he hasn’t found the back of the net, he’s been coming close. He was dominant against the Kraken to earn the game’s second star. Aside from setting up three goals, he had five shots and 11 total attempts.

With five assists in the last two games, the former 2017 first round pick is progressing nicely.

No McDavid For Oilers

With three games remaining on the road trip, the Rangers will visit the Oilers on Thursday night at 9 EST. The Rangers won’t see Connor McDavid. The three-time Hart winner is out for the Oilers due to suffering an upper-body injury against the Jets on Oct. 21.

McDavid has done pretty well against the Rangers. In 12 career games, he’s had six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. That included a memorable goal he scored two years ago in which he went through a maze of Rangers to highlight a 6-5 comeback win in overtime on Nov. 5, 2021.

While it could be a good thing that they won’t have to deal with McDavid, it’s unfortunate that the game’s best player will miss some time. He’s a joy to watch. A breathtaking superstar who one day could be in the same class as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby.

The Rangers will still have to contend with Leon Draisaitl. Arguably the second best player in the world, he can have a big impact on games. It’ll be interesting to see what Laviolette comes up with to slow him down.

We’ll have a better idea late tomorrow night.

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Panarin rewards Laviolette’s faith with a dominant performance in Rangers’ win over Kraken

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Derek

When the Rangers hired Peter Laviolette as their new coach, one of the key star players, the focus centered around Artemi Panarin. At times, the East/West style of the Russian star can get in the way of team success. However, his start to the season has been very positive.

In Saturday night’s 4-1 win over the Kraken, Panarin was easily the game’s best player. The Bread Man was so good that Laviolette double shifted him for most of the night. He rewarded Laviolette by scoring twice and controlling offensive shifts in the Kraken zone. They had no answer for him.

Even better, Panarin’s aggressive mindset made line mates Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere better players. It could be argued that both Chytil and Lafreniere played the best games of their careers. Chytil recorded a career high three assists while Lafreniere scored his second goal and helped set up another. Each played with a combination of speed and tenacity. Precisely what Laviolette wants to see.

Following a Kraken goal by Justin Schultz, it was the relentless pressure of the second line that led to Panarin scoring the tying goal. A strong forecheck from Lafreniere forced a turnover. That allowed Chytil to find an open Panarin in the slot for a wrist shot that beat Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer high glove to the short side. There was no hesitation.

In five games, Panarin has three goals and four assists for a team-leading seven points. Unlike last season, he’s been more involved on the forecheck. Laviolette emphasizes his players to apply puck pressure in the offensive zone. The 31-year-old has been looking to force turnovers. On another shift, he got in and made a backhand feed to set up a scoring chance. He was dangerous throughout the game.

Bread Limiting Mistakes

So far, Panarin isn’t making the same mistakes he had under former coach Gerard Gallant. He’s not making as many high-risk plays with the puck. There hasn’t been much circling around the zone up top to try to make the perfect play. Instead of forcing the action with a pass in the middle of the ice, he’s played a more straightforward game. It’s been more North/South.

That’s included rushes up the ice in transition. A perfect example of that was Panarin’s second goal he scored to pad the Rangers’ lead to 4-1 in the third period. On a great rush from K’Andre Miller into the Kraken zone, the defenseman got the puck over to Chytil. He quickly made a hard pass to a cutting Panarin in the slot. Able to knock the puck down between defenders, he then, in one motion, fired a one-timer that beat Grubauer for a beautiful goal.

Artemi Panarin sticks with it to score his second goal of the game.

Thinking shot first is something new for Panarin. He’s a great playmaker who’s superb at finding the open man with the puck, However, he’s made the necessary adjustment under Laviolette. Panarin had five shots-on-goal in the win, tying him with Chytil for the most. It might be a small sample size. But it’s Panarin who leads the Rangers with 21 shots thus far. That’s seven more than Mika Zibanejad and eight better than leading finisher Chris Kreider. A big difference. If he’s shooting the puck more, that makes him more dangerous.

Chytil and Lafreniere Combine For a Nice Goal

On a strong play that started with some hustle from Lafreniere behind the Seattle net, he and Chytil combined on a nice goal late in the second period.

With the Rangers ahead by one, thanks to Kaapo Kakko netting his first goal of the season on a rebound of a Jacob Trouba shot, Lafreniere was able to work a give and go with Chytil that led to him finishing off a nice backhand feed in front. Chytil made the perfect return pass so Lafreniere could quickly one-time it for his second. It was his first goal since last week’s season opening win over the Sabres on Oct. 12.

Keyword Search: Lafreniere Gets Ideal Start In The First Win

Kakko gets 100th Career Point

At a critical point of the contest, the Rangers finally got some offensive production from Kaapo Kakko. Following a bad game on Thursday, he turned in a better one at Seattle.

After nearly connecting with Chytil on a power play, Kakko scored his first of the season to put the Rangers ahead 2-1 with 6:58 left in the second period. On a big face-off win by Zibanejad, he got the puck back to Miller. He then moved it across for a Trouba shot that Grubauer got a piece of. After the puck hit the goalpost, Kakko was there to put home the easy rebound.

The goal gave him his 100th career point. It was important for Kakko to get the goal. Previously, he’d blown a few scoring chances. Hopefully, it can give him a confidence boost. Laviolette hasn’t gone away from playing Kakko on the first line with Zibanejad and Kreider. He’s remained patient. That could benefit Kakko. Finding chemistry is a key to success.

Miller Responds with His Best Game

Entering play, K’Andre Miller was coming off a tough game in the loss to the Predators. He was responsible for one of the goals. A forced pass to Erik Gustafsson resulted in a turnover that led to Cole Smith scoring on a breakaway.

In the win at Seattle, Miller responded with his best game. It started early. He made several key defensive plays to get the Rangers out of trouble. That included a nice recovery to break up a Kraken chance in transition. He and defense partner Jacob Trouba were outstanding. Their work during a Kraken five-on-three for 18 seconds was crucial during the second period. The successful penalty kill kept the game tied.

Miller was involved offensively. On the Kakko game-winner, it was his pass to Trouba that set up the goal. That was the first of two assists. The second came in transition during the third period when he gained entry to find Chytil, who then set up Panarin for his second of the game. The strong skating of Miller up the ice is what led to the key insurance marker. He’s very good at getting the puck and going. It’s an area that he excels at.

A Good Start for Quick

Although he came on in relief of Igor Shesterkin on Oct. 18, Jonathan Quick hadn’t started a game until Saturday night against the Kraken. After allowing a goal to Schultz on a one-timer from a sharp angle, the 37-year-old veteran was solid in the net for the Rangers.

Quick only had to make 18 saves. However, he made it look easy. That included an aggressive glove save where he challenged well enough to take away the angle. After only seeing two shots in a dominant second, he made a couple of sparklers in the third period. He got across to rob Jaden Schwartz with a nice glove save.

Coming into the season, there were questions about how he’d play. However, Quick put the preseason behind him. So far, he’s stopped 28 of 29 shots for a .970 save percentage in two appearances. With four more games on the road trip, including stops in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, there’s a good chance that he’ll get another game. His first start certainly helped.

Fox and Kreider Defend Chytil

After Chytil played the puck in front of the Rangers bench, Kraken captain Yanni Gourde delivered a hit on him. It was shoulder to chest with Chytil leaning forward. Although it wasn’t bad, both Adam Fox and Kreider were quick to jump in.

After Fox delivered a cross-check to Gourde, Kreider also cross-checked the feisty Kraken center, knocking him down. The two exchanged words during a scrum that involved several players. Eventually, things cooled down.

When the dust settled, Kreider received two minutes for cross-checking and two for roughing. Gourde got four minutes for roughing and a misconduct.

Trocheck Gets the Decision

Earlier in the third period, Vincent Trocheck caught Kraken defenseman Brian Dumoulin with a check into the boards. He was slow to get up. Not surprisingly, Trocheck was held accountable later.

With the game nearly out of reach, Jared McCann challenged Trocheck at center ice with less than 10 minutes left. Trocheck landed some good lefts to get the decision on McCann. It was entertaining.

Vincent Trocheck takes on Jared McCann.

A Good Start to The Road Trip

If there’s a takeaway from the win over the Kraken, it was that the Rangers played a complete game to improve to 3-2-0. They corrected a lot of mistakes from Thursday’s loss at home. There weren’t many unforced turnovers that led to chances against.

They carried most of the play with a consistent forecheck that forced the Kraken to defend. The results were positive. So, too, was how they defended. The Rangers played as a unit, making it tough on Seattle. There was a lot of one and done. That made it easier on Quick to earn his first win as a Ranger.

The road trip continues Tuesday night when they visit Calgary. It will start at approximately 9:45 EST. The Rangers will then have a day between visiting Edmonton on Oct. 26. They’ll then be at Vancouver next Saturday, Oct. 28. The final game will be at Winnipeg on All Hallows Eve. By then, we’ll have a better idea about the team.

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