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New York Rangers: Five games that suggest a rebuild won’t take long

By Jack Milewski

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Ryan Spooner #23 of the New York Rangers skates the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Ryan Spooner #23 of the New York Rangers skates the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 17: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) dives for the puck during the first period in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers on November 17, 2017, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 17: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) dives for the puck during the first period in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers on November 17, 2017, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Four Goal Third

The Rangers were down and looked out against the Blue Jackets in early November. Then the Jackets made some mistakes and put the Rangers on the power play. That happened three times and the Rangers scored all three times. Kevin Shattenkirk, Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider all scored in the third period to give the Rangers the comeback win. Mika Zibanejad assisted on all three goals as well.

This game stands out for multiple reasons despite being contested before the Rangers committed to a rebuild. First and foremost, the leading contributors in the comeback were all Rangers who figure to be big parts of the rebuild. The fight in the third period was admirable as well, but that wasn’t a constant during the season for New York.

The power play success is the other element that is promising for New York as well. The Rangers finished at 21.2%, which was 14th best in the league. That mark came without their best power play contributor in Shattenkirk for almost half the season. In an area that has constantly plagued the Rangers for the last 10 years or so, this game offered hope for a much better power play in the future.

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