New York Rangers: Special Teams prowess and other takeaways
It wasn’t perfect but the New York Rangers did what they had to do in order to get the job done after beating the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
After dropping an absolute stinker of a game to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, it was all about bouncing back and winning for the New York Rangers against another rebuilding team.
That’s exactly what they did and, although it was a performance that still had flaws, the Blueshirts have now won four out of their last six games and are showing gradual improvement.
Following a scoreless first period, the Blueshirts jumped out to a three-goal lead in the middle frame and they looked to be in cruise control.
Tony DeAngelo and Ryan Strome both continued their recent hot streak with a goal apiece, while Chris Kreider grabbed his third tuck of the year.
However, Valtteri Filppula got Detroit on the board and the Red Wings outshot the Rangers in the third period 16-7.
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The Rangers were very much on the ropes but they gave themselves some breathing room thanks to Greg McKegg‘s first goal as a Blueshirt, before Artemi Panarin completed the scoring to extend his point streak to six games (three goals, five assists).
Henrik Lundqvist also fared well in his first start in four games, stopping 35 of the 36 shots flung in his direction and he stood on his head when Detroit was heaping on the pressure.
Again, it wasn’t the perfect win and there are certainly areas to improve on for this young Rangers team who are still finding their way in 2019-20.
But, given what transpired on Monday against the Ottawa Senators, it was important that the Blueshirts bounced back by any means possible and that is a hallmark of a good team.
And, on that note, let’s delve into our biggest takeaways from the New York Rangers’ 5-1 success over the Detroit Red Wings…