Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
When the New York Rangers host the Minnesota Wild tonight, they’ll get defenseman Carson Soucy back. He’s set to return after missing the last four games.
By activating Soucy off the injured reserve, the Rangers assigned Scott Morrow to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was an emergency recall just in case Will Borgen couldn’t play. Borgen was fine in the Rangers’ last two games at Toronto and Montreal.
Rather than put Soucy back with Borgen, as they started the season, Rangers coach Mike Sullivan has instead decided to have Soucy team with Braden Schneider on the third pair. In doing so, Urho Vaakanainen comes out of the lineup tonight.
Sullivan’s liked what he’s seen from rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson. A strong defensive player, Robertson has impressed the coaching staff enough to remain in the lineup. He filled in well playing for Soucy with Borgen on the number two pair. That’s where he’ll stay for Monday’s game against the Wild.
The 24-year-old defenseman has played four games and picked up his first career point in the 4-3 win over the Canadiens on Saturday night. Robertson scored his first goal to put the Rangers ahead for good in a superb third period that saw them score three times to improve to 3-0-1 on the road.
Blueshirts Still Searching for Offense at Home
The Blueshirts enter tonight’s match, still searching for offense at home. They have yet to score a goal in three games at Madison Square Garden.
By getting shut out by the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 16, the Rangers became the first team in NHL history to start a season without scoring a goal in their first three home games. If they fail to score in the first 7:19 tonight, they’ll break the 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates’ record for the longest scoring drought at home to begin a new season.
This is pretty good… lol#NYR must score within the first 7:19 of tonight's game to avoid breaking the 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates' record (not the baseball team) for the NHL's longest scoring drought on home ice to begin a new season. https://t.co/okej72QPgQ
When asked about whether he’s using it as motivation for the team, Sullivan made sure to point out that they’ve played a lot of good hockey.
“No, I think it’s such a small sample size at this point. We’re just going to take each game as it comes. We’re going to try to put our best game on the ice. I think the group should feel good about themselves with the experience that we just went through in Montreal. We acknowledge that we’ve played a lot of good hockey, we got to continue to stay hungry and not be satisfied.”
When he speaks to team tonight, does #NYR Mike Sullivan use their home scoring drought as motivation or not call attention to it?
“No, I think it's such a small sample size at this point. We’re just going to take each game as it comes. We're going to try to put our best game on…
Considering everything, with Vincent Trocheck still not skating, the Rangers have started out well. Their 3-3-1 record could easily be better. With a solid structure that’s defended well while generating enough scoring chances, the goals will come if they continue that trend.
They’ve gotten a strong start from Sam Carrick, whose three assists are tied for second on the team with Adam Fox. Carrick has skated well and has been able to create offense in transition for his line. If he had better luck finishing, he’d have a couple of goals.
Carrick has been a big part of the ninth ranked penalty killing unit. They gave up a power-play goal in the last two games. However, they’ve killed off 12 of 14 penalties for an 85.71 success rate with one shorthanded goal coming from Mika Zibanejad.
The power play is still looking for improvement, ranking 22nd with the New York Islanders. With a Zibanejad power-play goal on Saturday and J.T. Miller scoring just as a man-advantage expired, they’ll look to build upon it. They’re 3-for-19 (15.8 percent).
Rangers Honor The Past Tonight
Tonight is the first of a series that’ll honor the Rangers Centennial season. They’ll celebrate the birth of a franchise from a century ago.
The Blue Crew was handing out the Centennial Chronicle newspapers at different locations, including Grand Central, Penn Station, and World Trade Center Path.
Filip Chytil remains a fan favorite in the Big Apple. The former Rangers center who was traded to the Canucks as part of a package for J.T. Miller, left today’s game against the Capitals following a hard Tom Wilson open ice hit late in the first period.
Just after Chytil released a pass, Wilson caught him with a clean hit that went through his upper torso, injuring him with 36 seconds left in the first. A visibly shaken up Chytil had to be helped off the ice.
Tom Wilson lays a heavy hit on Filip Chytil.
Chytil went to the dressing room, and after review, there was no penalty on the play. pic.twitter.com/PticaE7LUo
The hit was immediately reviewed for an interference major. However, it was a tad late. Right after Chytil released the puck, a committed Wilson caught him shoulder to chest with a heavy hit that sent him down to the ice. It came approximately 0.5 seconds after.
Unfortunately, it’s the latest upper-body injury Chytil’s sustained. During his seven-year Rangers career, he was marred by injuries. The worst came when he suffered the fourth concussion of his career in a game against the Hurricanes on Nov. 2, 2023. Former teammate Jesper Fast caught him with a hit at center ice. I
After playing only 10 games, he was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season due to a setback in practice two days before Jan. 28, 2024. He returned during the second round of the playoffs on May 9 against the Hurricanes. He came back and played six games without recording a point.
After staying mostly healthy in the first half of 2024-25, Chytil had 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points in 41 games. On Jan. 31, 2025, he was traded along with Victor Mancini and a 2025 top 13 lottery protected first round pick in exchange for Miller, Jackson Dorrington, and Erik Brunnstrom. He concluded his Rangers career with 140 goals, 100 assists, and 240 points in 377 games. If he’d stayed healthy, chances are he would’ve produced more consistently and probably remained a Broadway Blueshirt.
In Vancouver, Chytil partook in 15 games to conclude last season, finishing with two goals and four helpers for six points. Unfortunately, another concussion ended his year. In a game against the Blackhawks, he was hit from behind by Jason Dickinson on Mar. 15, 2025. Astonishingly, there was no call on the play. It was the fifth concussion of his career.
If he suffered a likely sixth concussion in today’s game on the Wilson hit, it’s hard to say what Chytil should do next. Head injuries are a very serious issue in the league. With concussion protocol, which he had to undergo this afternoon, teams are much more cautious when it comes to these kind of injuries. For the 26-year-old former Rangers 2017 first round pick, this isn’t his first rodeo. How much more punishment can he take?
We’re talking about Chytil’s well being. There’s more important things than playing hockey. He has persevered before to battle back through long rehab to get back. But at what cost. Now, both the Canucks team doctor and Chytil will make that determination. His family will probably be very involved. So will wife Nikol Hlavackova, who he finally tied the knot with on July 12.
Sometimes, all it takes is one big shift to change a game. For as much as they looked on the ropes like a prize fighter in quickly falling behind 2-0, the New York Rangers responded well to adversity in earning a 4-3 comeback win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. By getting four of the last five goals to even their record at 3-3-1, the Rangers showed a lot of character in improving to 3-0-1 on the road. They concluded the road trip by earning three out of a possible four points at Toronto and Montreal.
By the time the second period came, the game had already swung in the Rangers’ favor. After looking out of place against the high-flying Canadiens, who struck for two early goals over a 2:09 span at the start, they settled in thanks to a crucial penalty kill that kept the dangerous Habs from going up by three. Mika Zibanead’s power-play goal from the left circle suddenly made it a one-goal game with 8:04 remaining in the first.
Despite getting badly outplayed, the Blueshirts began to turn it around after the Zibanejad one-time blast past Sam Montembeault that was nicely set up from Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. It was the kind of shot Zibanejad used to score on when he was a 30-goal scorer. Maybe that’ll get him going.
As fast as they are, the Canadiens can be slowed down by taking the body. The Rangers did it often much to the Bell Centre crowd’s dismay. They were only credited with 24 hits, but they sure finished a lot of checks to turn the game into more of a grinding style. That’s exactly how they had to play to get a win in the House of Horrors.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan opted for Jonathan Quick over Igor Shesterkin, who got the weekend off to prepare for the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. Quick wasn’t at his best, but made enough stops to get the win. He finished with 21 saves. His biggest one came when he denied a Cole Caufield bid with 2:09 left in regulation during a four-on-four. It was an opportunity Caufield usually scores on. But Quick prevented the late game heroics from the most dangerous Habs finisher.
It looked like it would be a long Saturday night. The Canadiens made it 1-0 only 93 seconds in when Caufield led a two-on-one, setting up Juraj Slafkovsky for his second. Matthew Robertson got caught on a pinch at the blue line, which the dangerous Caufield quickly turned into an easy goal for Slafkovsky.
Things didn’t improve on the following shift. Urho Vaakanainen was sent off for hooking. Some fancy passing from the Canadiens resulted in Ivan Demidov dishing across for a Nick Suzuki one-timer into an open net with Quick out of position at 3:42.
It really looked like they were going to win easily. But the Rangers managed to kill off a Conor Sheary slashing minor to hang around. Quick only had to make one stop on Oliver Kapanen.
From that point, things changed dramatically. With Josh Anderson off for holding Will Borgen, the Rangers top unit stuck with it. After a couple of Montreal clears, they finally were able to get set up. That allowed Zibanejad to get into position in his office for a perfect Fox pass to get his second to cut it to 2-1. There weren’t a ton of shots, with the Habs taking a one-goal lead to the locker room.
In the second, Sheary came close to tying it, but Montembeault made the save. He had another close call later. An effort player, he isn’t going to get many goals. Quick came up with a pretty big save to deny the dangerous Demidov. A rookie with blazing speed, he is electrifying to watch. The 19-year-old 2024 number six pick is going to score plenty.
Panarin was still searching for his first goal. He missed on a couple of chances. That included a point blank opportunity that he normally buries in his sleep. He definitely was feeling it.
After Alexis Lafreniere hit the goalpost, it looked like Will Cuylle had the game-tying goal. Cuylle was right on the doorstep with nobody on him. But after faking out Montembeault, he missed on the backhand. Cuylle has started to play a lot better since being moved onto the big line with Zibanejad and Panarin. It’s just a matter of time before he gets going.
With the score still 2-1, Sam Carrick made an impact. A strong player so far in his second year for the Rangers, he caught Lane Hutson with a clean hit against the boards that sent him down. With the Habs fans booing, Hutson then went right back taking Carrick down. It really should’ve been a penalty. Following that exchange, Arber Xhekaj challenged Carrick. Even with him giving up several inches and pounds, Carrick punched up and won the fight. He got plenty of love from teammates when he went to the box. That really seemed to inspire the team. They showed it afterwards.
With time winding down in the period, Panarin got two great chances on a late power play. He missed on both, including sending a missile from the slot over the top. He still was without a goal entering the third.
With the power play expiring, Panarin moved the puck up for an Adam Fox shot that looked to have deflected off Lafreniere. However, Miller got his stick on it for the big goal that tied the game 34 seconds into the final period. Both Lafreniere and Miller set up in front. They each went for the puck, but it was clearly Miller’s goal. Regardless, it was a tie hockey game.
During a scrum following the next shift, Xhekaj pulled some shenanigans by cross-checking Matt Rempe twice. Despite him pulling the stunt, they gave Rempe a matching minor for roughing. It was typical Montreal. A joke call if I ever saw one. Instead of going back on the power play, the Rangers skated four aside with the Canadiens. Suzuki had the best chance, but he fanned on a shot.
Back at full strength, Panarin continued to make things happen. In by far his best game so far, he combined with Sheary to set up Robertson for an unscreened point shot that somehow eluded Montembeault from way out. It was Robertson’s first career NHL goal.
It was well-deserved for the 24-year-old defenseman who rebounded from a tough start to play another strong game. He’s making a case to stay in the lineup when veteran Carson Soucy comes off injured reserve. He’s due to be activated on Monday. Sullivan has an interesting decision to make. Robertson plays solid defensively and knows when to go. I’d like to see him remain in the lineup over Vaakanainen. We’ll see what happens.
The big night continued for Panarin. On a quick transition up the ice, Vladislav Gavrikov moved the puck for Zibanejad, who skated up ice and gained the zone before finding a wide open Panarin. He skated untouched and released a bomb from the right circle past Montembeault to make it four straight goals for the Blueshirts. In a game they once trailed 2-0, they now led 4-2. There was still plenty of time left.
The Canadiens were able to respond thanks to Noah Dobson getting his first as a Canadien. The former Islander took a Jayden Struble feed and beat Quick from a tough angle to make it 4-3 with 11:34 left in regulation. On the play, Fox was battling Brendan Gallagher in front. That looked like it served as enough of a distraction. Quick was unable to pick up Dobson’s shot.
A bit later, Rempe got a chance when he sent a one-timer right on Montembeault, who had no trouble with it. By that point, the teams were playing with just one linesman due to Scott Cherrey being hit accidentally by a puck. He left the game with 10:50 left. Hopefully, he’ll be okay.
Linesman Scott Cherrey being attended to for a while now. Looks like he got hit by a puck or something up in his face. And now he's left the game, so for the time being, at least, there's only one linesman.
With just over three minutes left, on some Habs pressure, both Gavrikov and Alex Newhook got into a wrestling match in front of the net, taking each other down. Both went off for roughing, leading to another four-on-four. It took one of the Rangers’ best defensemen off the ice. It was a great opportunity for the Habs.
Without Gavrikov, Sullivan moved up Braden Schneider with Fox. It was Miller, Cuylle, Fox, and Schneider matched up against Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson, and Dobson. Caufield got int some open space in the slot and let go of a good wrist shot that Quick was able to get a piece of to keep it out. That proved to be the difference.
Despite some more Canadiens pressure with Montembeault lifted for a six-on-five, Quick made a couple of more stops to preserve the Rangers win.
A year ago, the New York Rangers got off to a fast start by winning five out of their first six games (5-0-1). Despite relying heavily on both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, they jumped out to a 12-4-1 start before the season collapsed in epic proportion. The less said about it, the better.
Unlike last season’s team that underachieved despite being able to score goals, the current roster seems incapable of finding the back of the net with any regularity. Instead, they are a miserable offensive team that lacks finishers. Top stars Artemi Panarin, J.T. Miller, and Mika Zibanejad aren’t getting it done. Entering Saturday’s featured game versus the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night In Canada, they’ve combined for only two goals and four assists in the Rangers’ first six games. Counting Alexis Lafreniere, who scored the first goal of the season in a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 9, the top four forwards have totaled three goals and are a minus-11.
Without key center Vincent Trocheck, who looks like he’ll be out a long time due to the mysterious upper-body ailment he sustained against the Sabres, it’s forced Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan to move Zibanejad back to center so he can play with Panarin. Unfortunately, the results haven’t been there. For whatever reason, they’ve never clicked when used together.
Even with Zibanejad having more jump so far, he’s not burying his chances. Despite leading the team in shots (17) and scoring chances (9) at five-on-five according to Natural Stat Trick, he’s only scored once. It was a shorthanded goal in a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
If you’re wondering about Panarin, who only has totaled six shots at five-on-five, he’s created seven scoring chances and has eight giveaways. The Rangers’ best offensive player needs to start getting more shots through. He paced them in goals the past two seasons with a career-high 49 in 2023-24 and 37 in 2024-25. They need him desperately.
By continuing to play them together now with Will Cuylle, who’s also started off slowly with just one goal and three minor penalties, Sullivan’s looking for answers. Cuylle was one of their best forwards in last night’s 2-1 overtime defeat at the Toronto Maple Leafs. He led the Blueshirts in shots with five and had eight attempts. Most of it came following Sullivan’s decision to switch Cuylle onto the top line, and shift Lafreniere to the second line with Miller and Conor Sheary.
Speaking of which, Sheary is a hard-working player who always gives maximum effort due to his skating and hustle. However, it’s hard to justify Sullivan playing him in the top six after making the team on a PTO. Sheary is better suited for a supporting role. With the Rangers already thin without Trocheck and still waiting on top prospect Gabe Perreault, who will play his second game tonight for the Hartford Wolf Pack in their home opener, there aren’t many options. Unless something unforeseen happens, this is it for the time being.
Interestingly, Sheary is married to Sullivan’s niece. So, he’s part of the family. I can understand why Sullivan likes him. He had Sheary in Pittsburgh where they went back-to-back last decade. Of course, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin had a lot to do with it.
An undrafted free agent that the Pens signed on July 2, 2015 following a season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Sheary played a nice role for the Pens as a rookie in helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2015-16. When they repeated in 2016-17, he had his best season – setting career bests in goals (23) and assists (30) for a total of 54 points and a plus-24 rating. He spent three seasons in Pittsburgh before moving around.
After nearly two years in NHL purgatory with the Buffalo Sabres, the Pens brought him back for the conclusion of 2019-20. But their stay in the playoffs was short-lived. Sheary found some success playing in DC for the Washington Capitals. His best season came in 2021-22 when he had 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points. After another solid year in 2022-23, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He wasn’t used as frequently by Lightning coach Jon Cooper, leading to a drop in production. Not surprisingly, he wound up playing for the Syracuse Crunch last season. He paced the Crunch in scoring with 61 points (20-41-61).
An unrestricted free agent this summer, Sheary was hoping for one more shot at the NHL. He got his wish when Sullivan gave him an opportunity to make the Rangers out of training camp. He’s definitely still a roster player capable of contributing. However, he is ill-suited to play the minutes Sullivan is having him play.
It reminds me of when former Rangers coach Gerard Gallant kept playing Dryden Hunt in the top six during 2021-22. At the time, he couldn’t find the right fit for Panarin and Ryan Strome. So, the gritty Hunt was plugged in. He certainly provided energy, but lacked scoring punch. At least he was only 25 when Gallant tried that experiment until Chris Drury went out and acquired Andrew Copp at a busy trade deadline that saw him add Frank Vatrano and Justin Braun. That team made it all the way to the Conference Finals before losing to the Lightning. As for Hunt, he only played in three playoff games during that run.
What should be done moving forward? I wish I knew the answer. If we conclude that rookie Noah Laba looks better playing with last night’s goal scorer Juuso Parssinen and Taylor Raddysh on what looks like the fourth line, then none of them are candidates to replace Sheary. If you saw how Parssinen played on Thursday night, that’s exactly what’s been missing from that line since Sheary got moved up. Parssinen is a big body who can forecheck and make plays with the puck in both ends. He should remain with Laba and Raddysh for now.
Obviously, Sullivan isn’t breaking up the third line. Yes. For as well as they’ve played thus far, the cohesive trio of Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe can be trusted by the coaching staff to provide consistent energy while creating chances in the offensive zone. They won’t always have good analytics. But the remarkable improvement from Rempe along with the noticeable change in Carrick’s game is why they’re no longer incapable. Having Edstrom back has really provided a boost. He’s a more skilled player and a strong skater who helps create plays in transition. They’re clearly feeding off him.
Look for #NYR practice in Montreal is same as how they ended last night's game:
The dilemma for the Rangers is that none of the bottom six are capable of scoring many goals. We saw Rempe fan on a glorious chance in a recent game. Raddysh came in on a two-on-one rush and set up Carrick, who was denied by Anthony Stolarz. Edstrom had a shot go off Rempe for a goal last weekend. Somehow, Rempe has one more goal than Panarin, or as many as Cuylle, Lafreniere, Miller, and Zibanejad. Only Adam Fox has more than a goal with three. He doesn’t have much help on the blue line.
Somehow, the Blueshirts have outscored opponents 11-9 in their first six games. The trouble is the offense. They still haven’t scored at MSG, setting an NHL record to start a season at home by not getting a single goal in their first nine periods on home ice. They lit up the Sabres and Pens with nine of the 10 coming without an empty net. Then, they only got one against the Leafs.
Shesterkin can’t play any better. He’s allowed five goals on 130 shots yet has a 2-2-1 record. That’s absurd. Igor likes to move the puck up when he can to help the offense. It’s not like he can play forward. His defense has been much better due to more structure. He’ll likely get his sixth start tomorrow night at Bell Centre.
Entering tomorrow’s match, the Rangers rank second to last in offense, averaging a paltry 1.83 goals-per-game. Only the Calgary Flames are worse. They’re ranked 26th on the power play, converting twice in 17 opportunities (11.8 percent). By comparison, the Anaheim Ducks are tied for fifth in the league, clicking at 26.7 percent with three of their four power-play goals coming from Chris Kreider. So far, Kreider has four goals and an assist for the Ducks. It’s safe to say the change is working out so far.
When Drury dumped Kreider’s salary, he didn’t get any roster players in return for a player who became a consistent finisher on Broadway. He wasn’t healthy last season. The way he was handled was the end for Kreider, who knew it was time to move on.
The Rangers were able to pry Carey Terrance and a 3rd round pick in exchange for Kreider and a fourth round pick. Terrance is a former 2023 second round pick who wasn’t a big scorer for the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League. Ironically, younger teammate Malcolm Spence was. The Rangers selected him with the second round pick they received from the Colorado Avalanche for Ryan Lindgren. Spence is off to a good start with Michigan, entering the weekend with three goals and three assists.
When it comes down to it, the organization is being patient with Perreault and Brett Berard, who could easily fill a role right now. He’s got a lot of edge to his game. Berard was more impressive than Brennan Othmann, who looks like he’s on the way out if you believe the report from Elliotte Friedman. It is what it is.
The Rangers have always put their trust in veterans. So, Drury went out and signed Raddysh. Then, Sullivan got his wish and Sheary made the roster. That prevented Berard from getting an opportunity to start the season with the big club. He can easily bring what Raddysh does. But the organization thinks its best for him to develop more defensively. A similar reason Othmann looks like a bust. Yet another first round pick wasted.
Basically, they have two checking lines right now. That puts so much pressure on the top two lines. Opponents know it. They aren’t game-planning to shut down Carrick, Edstrom, or Rempe. It’s all about focusing on limiting Panarin, who isn’t up to speed yet.
It doesn’t look like there will be any solutions coming anytime soon. Have a book ready or your favorite series.
The longer it went, New York Rangers fans were left wondering if their team would ever score again. The scoreless streak stretched to eight periods in Toronto.
It took on a life of its own. Even when top stars got glorious scoring chances, they didn’t go in against Anthony Stolarz. It looked for all the world like he was going to become the fourth goalie to pitch a shutout.
As the Maple Leafs nursed a one-goal lead on the strength of a Matthew Knies’ first period power-play goal, Rangers coach Mike Sullivan looked for answers. He made a line tweak in the second period by flipping Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere. Cuylle moved onto the top line with struggling forwards Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Lafreniere shifted to the second line with J.T. Miller and Conor Sheary. They still couldn’t buy a goal.
It took some extra effort from Juuso Parssinen to finally snap the drought. Less than five minutes into the third period, Parssinen checked a Leaf off the puck behind the net. He then moved in front and tipped in a Braden Schneider shot to score the Rangers’ first goal in 170:39.
Back in the lineup for Jonny Brodzinski, Parssinen had some jump. He was very active defensively and got better as the game moved along. A bigger and stronger player than Brodzinski, who didn’t establish much in two appearances, Parssinen made the most of his second game. He meshed well with Noah Laba and Taylor Raddysh. The line was more effective in an inspired third period, which saw the Rangers take it to the Leafs.
Despite getting some other looks, they couldn’t find the game-winner. The best chance came when Adam Edstrom forced a turnover in front of the Leafs net. He quickly moved the puck for a Matt Rempe high shot that hit the mask of Stolarz to knock it off. Before the refs could blow the play dead, Rempe set up a Miller shot that a maskless Stolarz also stopped. It was a wild sequence.
One of the most noticeable differences with Sullivan behind the Rangers bench is that he’s kept his word. With nothing decided late in regulation, he wasn’t afraid to send out the third and fourth lines. Considering how well the Sam Carrick unit has played, they deserved to be out there. Six games into the season, It’s the consistent play of Carrick, Edstrom, and Rempe that’s been generating scoring chances six games into the season.
In fact, Rempe had three shots in the game. Carrick was robbed by Stolarz on a two-on-one set up by Raddysh. Edstrom was involved as usual. It’s the improved play of Rempe that’s allowed Sullivan to use them more. Even when they were hemmed in their end, they defended well enough to limit the Leafs when they got the matchup.
Igor Shesterkin was back in net for his fifth start. He wasn’t as busy as Stolarz, who robbed both Miller and Cuylle on a power play. For the game, Stolarz was busier finishing with 28 saves, including eight when the Leafs were shorthanded.
With the game still scoreless, Cuylle took a hooking minor to put the Leafs on their second power play. After failing to convert their first chance, they connected when Knies had a Nylander shot go off him to open the scoring at 11:48.
Later in the period, with Knies off for taking down Panarin, the Rangers’ ineptitude continued. Zibanejad missed on a perfect setup. Stolarz then stopped Panarin, Lafreniere, and later stoned Cuylle. They couldn’t buy one.
A very evenly played second didn’t result in any goals. Stolarz continued his mastery by denying Cuylle, who had a strong game leading the Blueshirts with five shots. After the line change, he was much more effective. Perhaps his energy and grit can rub off on Zibanejad and Panarin.
When the Leafs did turn it up, Shesterkin made the key stops to give his team a chance. Shots were 10-9 Leafs in the period.
In the third, it was mostly Rangers. They kept coming at the Leafs, who looked like a punch drunk prize fighter hanging on. Eventually, Parssinen was able to create enough havoc to get the tying goal with 15:09 left in regulation. It was well-deserved.
The loudest cheer of the night came when Scotiabank Arena provided a score update with the Toronto Blue Jays surging ahead of the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.
Energized by the crowd, the Leafs had their best surge. But Shesterkin made a strong save on Nylander. He later stopped Nick Robertson. One player who was mostly invisible was Leafs captain Auston Matthews. He wasn’t a factor in regulation.
In overtime, it didn’t take long to decide the outcome. Zibanejad fanned on a shot and lost his footing. That turnover led to a two-on-one. Matthews worked a give and go with Nylander, who made the nice backdoor feed for an easy tip-in for the overtime winner at 58 seconds.
On the play, Panarin didn’t get back in time. Instead of hustling to take Matthews, he went to Nylander, who made a great toe drag to get around a diving Adam Fox to set up an open Matthews for the winner.
He isn’t scoring goals. Panarin only has two assists in half a dozen games. It isn’t asking too much for him to put some effort in defensively. Even if it’s on a three-on-three. He wasn’t on that long. He deserves a lot of blame for the loss. He only had two shots and was a complete non-factor.
That has to change soon. Both Panarin and Zibanejad aren’t scoring. Neither is Miller or Lafreniere. When they visit the Montreal Canadiens, who have some magic going early thanks to Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, the Rangers better be on their toes. If they’re not, the first place Canadiens have too much firepower. That’ll be a very tough test on Saturday.
Borgen Plays
After being a game-time decision, according to Sullivan, Will Borgen played last night. The Rangers recalled Scott Morrow if he couldn’t go.
Playing on the second pair with the steady Matthew Robertson, Borgen took 24 shifts and logged 16:22 of ice time. Robertson had another good game, finishing with 22 shifts (15:24).
After failing to make the Rangers out of training camp, the writing was on the wall. A former 2021 first round pick, Othmann looks like he’ll never get a chance in the Big Apple. Having been passed by Brett Berard, Noah Laba, and Gabe Perreault, it’s pretty clear that he needs a change of scenery.
Even with the Rangers struggling to score, Othmann remains at Hartford in the AHL. The Wolf Pack play their next game tomorrow night. In a 2-1 loss to Wilkes-Barre last Saturday, Othmann had a secondary assist on their only goal.
The question is, what is Othmann worth? If he’s drawing interest around the league, that means other teams still value him. But is it due to thinking the return won’t have to be much? That largely depends on what Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury is seeking.
Once considered a good prospect due to strong performances for Canada in the World Junior Championships, the 22-year-old right wing has never scored a goal in 25 career NHL games. He recorded his first two assists in 22 contests last season.
In parts of two seasons spent in Hartford, Othmann has totaled 33 goals and 37 assists for 70 points over 95 games.
In a move that didn’t come as a surprise, the New York Rangers placed Vincent Trocheck on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) earlier today. In a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 9, Trocheck left the game in the second period. After blocking two shots on a previous shift, he took one more before exiting with an upper-body injury.
The 32-year-old center is in the third season of a seven-year contract worth a $5.63 million cap hit. He’s already missed the past three games due to the injury. By putting him on LTIR, it opened up cap space for the Rangers.
They recalled defenseman Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack to fill the empty roster spot. According to Puck Pedia, Morrow takes up $1.16 million of cap space due to not being on the roster. That includes performance bonuses along with his $917,000 cap hit. In addition, they have $2.7 million remaining in LTIR.
The #NYR put Trocheck on LTIR allowing them to exceed cap by $3.8M & then called up Morrow.
Because Morrow was not on roster when LTIR was set, he takes up $1.16M (his AAV which includes perf bonuses) cap space, not his $917K Cap Hit.
The move was made due to defenseman Will Borgen being banged up after last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. At the moment, Morrow is a placeholder in case Borgen can’t go tomorrow night when the Rangers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. During a team practice, he was rotating in on the bottom pair along with Matthew Robertson and Connor Mackey.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan was pretty clear on things this afternoon. Regarding Morrow’s availability for Thursday, he said, “I’m not sure either way. … It all depends on the injuries.”
On whether he thinks Borgen will play tomorrow, Sullivan said, “I’m not sure either way.” I asked if he plans to get Morrow in and he said, “It all depends on the injuries.” So sounds like he only plays if Borgen is out. #NYR
Morrow was acquired in the summer as part of the deal that sent K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes on July 1. A 22-year-old right defenseman who possesses offensive skills that could be utilized on the second power play unit, Morrow has played in 16 career games. Last season, he had a goal and four assists in 14 contests for the Hurricanes. He also got into five postseason games. In a limited role under Rod Brind’Amour, Morrow was a minus-five with four shots while averaging 10:29 of ice time.
Considering the state of the blue line, it couldn’t hurt to see what Morrow has to offer. At the moment, there’s the very possibility that Urho Vaakanainen and Braden Schneider could play in the top four against the offensive-minded Maple Leafs in Toronto. That doesn’t exactly sound promising. If that’s indeed the case, you’re probably looking at a third pair of Robertson and Morrow. Two young defensemen paired together on the road. The Leafs would definitely try to get a favorable matchup with Auston Matthews.
It all depends on whether Borgen plays. If he doesn’t, it could be a tough night. Even though they’ve scored all of their goals (10) on the road, those came against weaker opponents. For as weak as the Leafs are defensively, they’re still a stronger team. We’ll see how it goes.
History was made at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. For the New York Rangers, it wasn’t the kind of history they wanted to make in their centennial season.
In an alarming trend that continues to plague them, the Rangers got shut out for the third straight home game by the Edmonton Oilers. By failing to score a single goal in their first three home games at MSG, they made NHL history by becoming the first ever team to achieve that record – breaking the previous mark held by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928.
The New York Rangers have made NHL history in the worst way, going scoreless in their first 3 games at MSG 😬❌ pic.twitter.com/vGu268cc5T
In falling to the Oilers 2-0, most astonishing is that Rangers’ goalies have only allowed four goals over the first five games. However, all 10 of their goals have come on the road where they’ve had more success.
At least they next visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. In my favorite Dumb and Dumber quote from Jim Carrey’s Lloyd character, “So, you’re telling me there’s a chance.”
If you can’t make light of this start, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s one thing to lose and get outplayed. Since dropping the season opener 3-0 to the Penguins, the Rangers have been the better team against both the Capitals and Oilers at The Garden. It hasn’t mattered. If you can’t score a goal, you can’t win.
On Sunday, the Caps made an Anthony Beauvillier goal stand up in a 1-0 shutout. In that one, Charlie Lindgren was the best player, finishing with 35 saves to steal a win. Last night, it was Stuart Skinner who got stronger as the game went on, going on to make 30 saves for the third shutout by an opposing goalie at MSG. If you add Arthur Silovs from last week, that’s three goalies who aren’t household names.
It’s become a comedy in record fashion. The Rangers have rolled out the welcome mat for journeymen. They’ve accomplished something significant by turning these guys into Vezina winners. You’d think they faced Dryden, Brodeur, and Hasek.
Even better, they’ve gone 0 for 90 in 180 minutes at the World’s Most Expensive Arena. The 90 represents the total amount of shots they’ve had in the three losses. With a 0-for-3 effort on the power play, they’re now a perfect 0-for-6 at MSG. It’s hard to win hockey games when you can’t take advantage.
Trailing 1-0 in the third period, their best chances came on their final power play. Following a Skinner save on Adam Fox from long distance, Mika Zibanejad missed wide from in front. J.T. Miller followed that up by having his tip miss the mark. After making another stop on Fox, Skinner got over to deny Artemi Panarin twice.
Panarin can’t buy a goal. He had his most shots (5) so far. The Rangers’ best offensive player has two assists in five games. He still hasn’t looked like the same player. Whether the injury he had his limited him doesn’t matter. He’s paid top dollar to carry the offense. At least in the third, his line with Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere was buzzing. They’re getting closer.
If there’s an issue beyond the top line not scoring, it’s Mike Sullivan’s insistence on playing Conor Sheary in the top six. I have nothing against Sheary, who gives an honest effort. His hustle is noticeable. However, he’s being overused by Sullivan, who loves him. Newsflash to Sully: It isn’t 2016-17 or 2017-18 anymore.
The last time Sheary was a solid contributor was with the Caps three years ago. He scored 15 goals and had 22 assists for 37 points in 2022-23. Since then, he’s totaled 16 points (4-12-16) in 67 games. He was so bad for the Lightning that he only got into five games last season. Astonishingly, he’s already matched that with the Rangers.
Even more absurd is how many minutes he’s getting. Sheary is averaging 15:23 of ice time a game. That included 18:13 last night. That’s more than Will Cuylle (17:19 TOI) had. They play on the same line. Cuylle’s the much younger player.
What’s even more mind-numbing is how little use Sullivan has for Noah Laba. After he notched two assists last Saturday, his ice time has gone dramatically down with linemates Jonny Brodzinski and Taylor Raddysh. All three received under eight minutes against Edmonton. That’s not ideal for Laba, who’s shown the ability to make plays due to his size and speed. He hardly touched the ice in the third.
The line of Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, and Matt Rempe continues to play well in an increased role. Carrick created chances for both Edstrom and Rempe. Edstrom just missed on a wide open opportunity.
If there’s a dilemma, it’s the lack of finish on the line. They can’t count on Rempe for more than a few goals. Carrick scored six last year. Edstrom had five in his rookie year. He has the most skill of the three. But how many can Edstrom get while playing with those two? Their chemistry has never been better. But they flub a lot of point blank chances.
Edstrom should play with Laba. Neither Brodzinski nor Juuso Parssinen have shown enough to stay on that line. Elevating the more capable Edstrom makes sense. At least he can use his big body to forecheck and get in front. He’s a good skater who puts himself in position. If they’re not going to recall Brett Berard anytime soon, I’d like to see Edstrom play with Laba and Raddysh. To be honest, Sheary fits that line better.
The problem is for how well they’ve played over the last two games. The Rangers are offensively challenged. Without Vincent Trocheck, it puts a lot of pressure on Panarin, Zibanejad, Lafreniere, Miller, and Cuylle to carry the offense. It’s not happening so far.
While the Zibanejad line had more opportunities, the Miller line was matched against McDavid, who played most of the game with Leon Draisaitl. Along with Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, who had his best game, they did a superb job stifling McDavid. So much so that Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch split them up for most of the third.
By doing that, the Blueshirts didn’t have enough offense to seriously threaten Skinner, who was dialed in. When told after the game about the Rangers’ offensive woes at home, he said he had no idea about it until Calvin Pickard told him following the win. Skinner had high praise for the effort the Rangers gave.
Stuart Skinner on handing #NYR their 3rd straight shutout at MSG to start the season:
As it turned out, even on an off night for McDavid and Draisaitl, who were pinned in their end more often than usual, all Edmonton needed was a lucky bounce to grab the lead.
On a strange play in the neutral zone, the puck took a funny bounce off a linesman right to Kasperi Kapanen, who moved the puck up for Trent Frederic. He then got behind Urho Vaakanainen to beat Igor Shesterkin on a breakaway with 9:38 left in the second period.
Vaakanainen tried to make a pass up. However, the puck hit a linesman to give the Oilers an opening. They took advantage. Vaakanainen lost Frederic rather quickly. Partner Braden Schneider was too far up ice, leaving a gap.
From seeing him play, Vaakanainen struggles defensively. He doesn’t win any battles in his end and is frequently caught out of position. It’s hard to believe he was re-signed. He isn’t a top six defenseman.
Sullivan again played Matthew Robertson with Will Borgen, who had a strong game. Robertson is better in his end than Vaakanainen. He’s only played four career games. If they played together, it wouldn’t work. Maybe that’s why Schneider has remained with Vaakanainen. There are still instances when he should be moved up.
The Rangers hit two goalposts. Schneider and Carrick just missed ending the scoreless streak at home. There were other close calls. Rempe fanned on a shot right in front. He was set up by Sheary, who had an open net until an Oilers defenseman recovered in time to prevent him from putting it in.
Afterward, Zibanejad was left speechless at the Rangers’ ineptitude.
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry, honestly. I honestly don't know. We've got to keep going"
He’s correct about how they’re playing. They’ve been much better defensively than at any point last year. However, they are offensively challenged. If the top players aren’t scoring, they’re going to continue to struggle.
It doesn’t matter if Shesterkin is playing well. If he allows a goal, they can lose. That’s how bad they are offensively. They could use Chris Kreider right now. He’s in Anaheim. Chris Drury didn’t improve the roster. Until Gabe Perreault is ready, they’re stuck.
Brett Berard should be playing with Laba. He isn’t because Drury spent too much money on vets. They’re up against the cap. At least they made history.
It took a while. However, the power play finally broke through for the New Jersey Devils to highlight a 3-2 win on the road against the Blue Jackets on Columbus Day.
After going 0-for-6 in their first two games of the new season, the Devils were a perfect 2-for-2 last night. Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier each scored power-play goals to give the Black and Red a big division win over the Blue Jackets and spoil their home opener. Mercer added an empty netter that proved essential, with it holding up as the game-winner due to Dmitri Voronkov’s late goal that came with 21 seconds left in regulation.
Special teams and strong goaltending from both Jake Allen (23 saves on 24 shots) and Jacob Markstrom (8 stops on 9 shots) proved to be the difference in the victory which improved the Devils to 2-1-0 on a successful road trip to begin the season. They will finally return to Newark for their home opener against the defending champion Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
With Allen getting his first start, the veteran backup proved his worth in a busy first period marred by undisciplined penalties. The Devils were forced to kill a Dougie Hamilton high-sticking double minor after he drew blood on Miles Wood. The penalty kill did a good job limiting the Blue Jackets to the outside, allowing Allen to see the shots. He made five, including a big save on the dangerous Zach Werenski with the power play set to expire.
Back at even strength, the ice was tilted with the Jackets continuing to apply pressure in search of the game’s first goal. But Allen denied bids from Kirill Marchenko and Sean Monahan to keep it scoreless.
After Jet Greaves was tested by Connor Brown, another penalty was called on Brett Pesce for taking down Mathieu Olivier behind the net. He hooked him just enough to be sent off despite a mild protest to the ref. It was an aggressive Devils penalty kill that eventually forced Adam Fantilli to take an even-up minor that led to some four-on-four. A strong play from Mercer led to Fantilli hooking him from behind. The Blue Jackets forward thought he lifted the stick, but the replay showed otherwise.
Once Pesce left the box, the Devils went on the man-advantage. They were dangerous throughout due to quick passing. After captain Nico Hischier missed twice from in front on deflections, Greaves made a save on Hamilton. Jesper Bratt kept the play alive. With time running out, Jack Hughes had a Bratt pass deflect off him right for Meier, who quickly let go of a sharp angle shot that fooled Greaves for the game’s first goal as the power play expired. Meier was able to go short side on Greaves for his second of the season.
Funny enough, that is almost exactly where #NJDevils Timo Meier was on the ice when he scored during that practice in September.
Prior to the game, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to move Meier up to the top unit by moving Mercer down to the second unit. The move paid immediate dividends. Meier entered the game needing one more goal to match the identical amount of assists he had for his career. By getting it, he’s now up to 219 goals and 219 assists for 438 points in 624 games with both the Sharks and Devils.
Pesce nearly doubled the lead when his shot hit the goalpost. Another try was stopped by Greaves. Outside of the Meier goal he gave up, Greaves had a good night turning aside 25 of 27 shots. He could finally supplant incumbent Elvis Merzlikins as the Columbus starter.
In the second period, the Devils picked it up. After getting outshot 16-8, they held an 11-8 edge in shots. Both Meier and Bratt were denied early by Greaves. It remained a one-goal game until nearly the half-way point of the contest.
Following a good defensive play from Hughes in the first part of his shift, he made a glaring mistake that led directly to Marchenko tying the game. He tried to skate through the middle in the Blue Jackets zone. Instead, he was cleanly stripped by Marchenko, who took the puck away and turned it into an unassisted breakaway goal.
For Hughes, he continues to make the same mistakes. A dynamic offensive player who’s capable of putting up 40 goals and 100 points if he stays healthy, the 24-year-old former 2019 top pick still takes too many risks. He finished the game with an assist, six giveaways, and a minus-2 rating in 21 shifts (18:40 TOI).
Fortunately, the Blue Jackets put the Devils on another power play shortly after Marchenko’s game-tying goal. Luke Hughes drew a hooking minor on Cole Sillinger. On the five-on-four advantage, this time it was the second unit that struck to put them back ahead. On a quick feed from rookie Arseny Gritsyuk in transition, Mercer fired a one-timer from the slot past Greaves to make it 2-1 with 8:51 remaining in the period. It was the third point for Gritsyuk in the last two games. He has three assists since Keefe moved him off the fourth line. The former 2019 fifth round pick is a player to watch for the Devils.
A few minutes later, the Devils killed off a Blue Jackets power play. For the night, they went 5-for-5 on the kill while converting on both their power plays. That was the deciding factor in the first matchup of four between the teams. They won’t see each other again until December when they’ll play twice, with the Devils hosting the Blue Jackets on Dec. 1. They’ll then visit them on New Year’s Eve. The final meeting will be back in Newark on Feb. 3 before the Olympics.
Following a lighter middle stanza that saw him make seven saves on eight shots, Allen departed the game due to cramps. Markstrom replaced him for the third period.
With the Jackets on a sustained forecheck, Gritsyuk held Adam Fantilli to put them back on the power play. Markstrom came up with three saves, including one on Voronkov from in close. He turned away Voronkov again late in the period.
The Jackets came close to tying it. Olivier hit the crossbar with over five minutes left. With over two minutes left in regulation, they lifted Greaves for a six-on-five. Following a Kent Johnson missed shot, Mercer scored into a vacated net for his second of the game.
Despite trailing by two with so little time left, the Jackets didn’t give up. An Ivan Provorov backhand was rebounded home by Voronkov to make it 3-2 at 19:39. However, the Devils were able to successfully run the clock out for the well earned victory.
It wasn’t without an ailing Markstrom limping back to the locker room. Following the game, Keefe didn’t have any update. The injury seemed to occur on the Voronkov goal.
#NJDevils Jacob Markstrom skating off the ice gingerly right after the final buzzer after appearing to suffer an apparent injury on the late Voronkov goal. Seems like he was in severe pain or something the way he reacted in the crease, but stayed in for the final 14 seconds… pic.twitter.com/H31hlU1BMj
Sometimes, your best effort isn’t good enough. To quote play-by-play announcer John Forslund, “That’s hockey.”
The New York Rangers ran into a hot goalie last night. Despite playing their best game of the young season, they were shut out 1-0 by Charlie Lindgren and the Washington Capitals at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue. Lindgren was brilliant in making 35 saves to stone the Rangers. The older brother of former Blueshirt Ryan Lindgren was particularly strong in the first two periods – stopping 13 shots apiece for 26 of his 35, with nine more coming in a stronger third by the Caps.
Rangers had some grade A chances vs the Caps; goalie Charlie Lindgren stole the show. pic.twitter.com/K7Zr4JCUYn
In failing to score a goal against Lindgren, the Rangers tied a record. They have been shut out in their first two home games, becoming the 10th team in NHL history to start the season in that fashion. They’ll look to avoid making even more history when they host Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night.
Even more strange is that they’ve scored all 10 of their goals on the road in two victories over the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Odder is that in each of the first four games, a Rangers goalie has allowed only one goal. Igor Shesterkin did it in his first three starts, including a shutout at Buffalo. On Sunday night, Jonathan Quick permitted one goal on 20 shots to become the hard luck loser.
The only goal he allowed came late in the second period to Rangers killer Anthony Beauvillier. Beauvillier moved around the net and into position to tip in an Alex Ovechkin shot pass for the game’s only goal with 6:16 remaining. While he got set, Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen vacated the area. With partner Braden Schneider’s attention turned to Ovechkin, Vaakanainen failed to switch onto Beauvillier, who had plenty of time to deflect home the Ovechkin feed.
Beauvillier has always killed the Rangers. Ever since he was a New York Islander, the gritty forward has had a knack for scoring backbreaking goals. In fact, he’s never scored more goals against an opponent. The goal was his 14th versus the Rangers. Updating the numbers, Beauvillier is up to 27 points in 35 career games, which of course is his best against any opponent. Fittingly, the goal was his first of the season, and third game-winner against the Blueshirts.
Facing a division rival that dominated them last season, the Rangers were the better team for the majority of the game. It was the opposite of how they played against the Caps last year. They skated faster and with more purpose. They established a forecheck, with the energy line of Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, and Matt Rempe again leading the way. They were hard on the puck and won most of the battles. They were strong in transition, creating high danger chances off the rush. It was exactly how they must play.
“I thought the team played extremely well, and that’s what I said to the guys after the game. For our coaching staff, we’re most concerned about how we play, how we win and how we lose. Sometimes, you can’t control whether the puck goes in the net or not. I thought from an effort standpoint, determination, our attitude — for me, this type of game is the kind of game that we’re trying to build. We had our looks, we had some great looks. They got some key saves at key times, give them credit… If we continue to play with that kind of an effort and that kind of focus and attention to detail, I think we’re going to win more games than we lose, that’s for sure,” a pleased Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters afterward.
In a dominant second frame, the Rangers created several chances to take the lead. However, Lindgren wouldn’t cooperate. Similar to how he played against them in 2023-24, when he went 2-1-0 with a 1.35 goals-against-average and .955 save percentage with a shutout, Lindgren was a brick wall in net. He made a few highlight reel saves, including committing highway robbery on Mika Zibanejad.
Following some strong defensive work from Alexis Lafreniere, he sent Artemi Panarin in on a two-on-one. With only Matt Roy back defending, Panarin patiently waited and send a perfect pass across for Zibanejad, whose one-timer was labeled. Instead, a diving Lindgren got across to make an acrobatic glove save to deny Zibanejad of a sure goal. He could only hang his head in disbelief.
One thing that makes Lindgren tough is that he’s an unorthodox goalie who catches with the right hand. In a league where most netminders catch left, both Caps goalies are unorthodox, with starter Logan Thompson also catching right. Shooters prefer to go to the same spots. Lindgren has had success against the Rangers due to his right glove. He improved to 4-1-0 versus the Rangers. In five starts, he’s only allowed six goals on 141 shots with two shutouts. Not bad for a backup who got the start on a back-to-back.
Later in the second, he turned away Panarin, who had a similar reaction after failing to score in his fourth consecutive game. Playing in a contract year, the 33-year-old Russian hasn’t found his stride yet. Two separate injuries kept him out of preseason. The skating is still there, but he hasn’t looked dominant. Panarin is also adjusting to playing with Zibanejad, who’s now the center on the big scoring line without Vincent Trocheck. While Zibanejad has continued to play well, leading the Rangers with seven shots last night, Panarin is still searching for that big game to get him going. His next chance will come against the Oilers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
When Zibanejad wasn’t testing Lindgren, the Blueshirts were getting a tremendous effort from the fourth line. The cohesive trio of Edstrom, Carrick, and Rempe spent some time in the Caps end. On one strong shift, Rempe sent a tricky shot from a tough angle in front that nearly led to a goal. The line finished with a 66.67 CF and created two high danger chances while allowing none. They were so effective due to Rempe’s noticeable improvement that Sullivan didn’t hesitate to send them out for a late shift down a goal in the third.
The biggest highlight came when Rempe caught Tom Wilson with a clean hit during a shift. He sent Wilson flying to the ice. A rarity for the Caps power forward, who usually is the one dishing them out.
The most effective line was centered by captain J.T. Miller. His line spent a lot of time on the attack. Miller and Will Cuylle were very effective with Conor Sheary on the forecheck. On one extended shift, Miller had two cracks at a rebound, but was unable to beat Lindgren. Miller, Cuylle, and Sheary combined for 10 shots and six high danger chances for to only one high danger chance against. They held a 9-4 edge in shots and had an expected goals percentage of 89.19.
If there was a difference in the third period, it was the Caps playing more aggressively. They activated their defensemen, which created more zone time and a few chances. Quick was strong when he had to be turning away seven shots. Jakob Chychrun was superb defensively. He stood up at the blue line and made several strong plays. He and John Carlson logged over 19 minutes at even strength.
The Rangers found it more difficult to gain access and generate quality chances. It took a while for them to force Lindgren to make some saves. When Quick was lifted for an extra attacker, Cuylle put a shot from the circle right on Lindgren, who saw it easily. A hustling Zibanejad prevented an empty netter. That allowed for one more final chance. But his shot was handled by Lindgren, who wasn’t having it.
Following an icing, the Rangers had one more crack at it. With time running down, Wilson made a diving block of a Panarin attempt, and cleared the zone.
Robertson Fares Well in Season Debut
In just his third career game, Matthew Robertson made his first appearance of the season for the Rangers. Taking the place of injured defenseman Carson Soucy, who was placed on injured reserve, Robertson fared well in his season debut.
With Sullivan opting to play Robertson with Will Borgen on the second pair, they actually had a strong game together. They both were over a 60 CF with Robertson finishing with a 67.74. He played a safe defensive game, and looked for offense when there were opportunities. Robertson had a shot and four attempts all at even strength (22 shifts for 18:08 TOI).
Miller Leads The Way on Faceoffs
The Rangers were particularly strong in the circle. They won 32-of-49 faceoffs. Miller led them by going 14-of-18. Carrick won 6-of-7 draws. Zibanejad went 8-and-6. No Cap was .500. Nic Dowd led them going 5-and-7.
Power Play Takes the Collar
There weren’t many chances. But the Rangers failed to capitalize on two power plays in the second period. After falling behind on the Beauvillier tally from Ovechkin, they drew two consecutive penalties. Neither of which they took advantage of.
Sheary was taken down by Wilson for the game’s first man-advantage. Despite the top unit getting some good looks, they were unable to solve Lindgren. The best chance came when Zibanejad was set up for a one-timer in the opposite circle. But Lindgren read the play and cheated to get over and make the save.
With Carrick drawing a minor on Beauvillier with 2:18 left, Sullivan had no choice but to go with his second unit. Despite moving the puck around nicely, they were unable to find any shooting lanes. The Caps were more aggressive on the penalty kill. That led to Noah Laba having a shot blocked and cleared. After registering four shots on the first power play, the Rangers got nothing done on the second. It was a wasted opportunity.
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