New York Rangers: Panarin’s brilliance, other takeaways from Caps win
We all knew that watching the New York Rangers in 2019-20 would be like getting on a rollercoaster that is out of control, and Wednesday night was another example of that.
Welcoming the best team in the National Hockey League in the Washington Capitals to Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers didn’t seem fazed by the magnitude of the task in front of them.
While they may drop an absolute stinker here and there, as they did to the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, this Blueshirts team is also capable of going toe-to-toe against the league’s best.
And that’s exactly what they did on another memorable and exhilarating night at Madison Square Garden.
Despite going up against a Capitals team that led the entire NHL, the Rangers gave everyone a tantalizing glimpse of their potential with a dominant and eye-catching display.
Artemi Panarin continues to deliver in big ways after he stretched his point streak to 12 games with two power play goals, and “The Breadman” is certainly living up to his top billing.
Pavel Buchnevich had arguably one of his best games as a New York Ranger and he capped it off with a goal, while Brett Howden also got on the board.
Not only is Washington one of the best teams in the National Hockey League, they are also one of the most physical.
But the Rangers more than stood up to the physical test and they refused to be bullied, instead giving as good as they got and hurting the Capitals with skill and speed.
Let’s delve into our biggest takeaways from the New York Rangers’ hugely impressive 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals…
1. Rangers Show Some Maturity
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this year is going to be full of growing pains and learning curves for the New York Rangers.
There will be giddy highs and extreme lows and we’ve seen both ends of the spectrum at play over the last couple of weeks.
First, the Blueshirts beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime before then putting up an absolute horror show in a 9-3 loss in Tampa, while you can also point to the 6-2 humbling at the hands of the Ottawa Senators that came just days after a gritty win in Nashville.
So, you can’t be blamed for fearing another implosion in Ottawa on Friday after what the Rangers did to the Capitals.
However, there was something different about this win and there was something different about how one of the youngest teams in the NHL handled the ebbs and flows of the game.
They showed a real killer instinct to race into a 3-0 lead in the second period after going blow-for-blow with Washington in the first, while Henrik Lundqvist came up big when needed.
And, even when the Capitals did get on the board thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s goal on the power play, the Rangers dealt with the adversity and responded by icing the game and shutting down their opponents.
They won the special teams battle after going 2-for-3 on the power play and killing off two of the Caps’ three attempts on the man advantage, which is impressive given Washington’s offensive prowess.
And, let’s keep this little nugget in mind: The Blueshirts are the first team that has held the Capitals to fewer than two goals in a game this season.
It was just a complete team performance from the New York Rangers who seem to be growing up and maturing as a group, and they showed tantalizing signs that they are turning an important corner when it comes to managing a game.
2. Lemieux rises to the occasion
Stick taps for Brendan Lemieux all round.
The bottom six grinder has displayed his toughness ever since he first walked through the doors at MSG, and he’s dished out 36 hits and accumulated 52 penalty minutes already this season.
He is prepared and willing to drop the gloves whenever it is necessary and it was certainly required against the Washington Capitals.
The Caps only outhit the Rangers by a margin of 29-27 but they dealt out some bone-crushing hits, particularly on Brett Howden who still managed to play his best game of the year despite taking some brutal punishment.
And then there is Tom Wilson. Now, we don’t need to delve into the enforcer’s history or reputation, but it was no surprise to see him buzzing around trying his best to get a reaction from the Rangers.
Tom Wilson and Brendan Lemieux drop the gloves pic.twitter.com/6xtv9nycPR
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 21, 2019
Wilson also dished out eight hits and it culminated in Lemieux having enough and deciding that he wasn’t going to stand for that in his own house.
So, as a result, we were treated to a slugfest between two heavyweights as Lemieux and Wilson absolutely went at it before the former made sure to whip MSG into a frenzy as he made his way to the penalty box.
It was a reminder of just how tough and fearless Lemieux is because, love him or hate him, Wilson is one of the toughest customers out there in the NHL.
Lemieux’s impressive tilt was the epitome of just how tough the Rangers were against a very physical Capitals team, and that should serve as major encouragement moving forward.
3. Panarin worth the money
For anyone who questioned the $81.5 million the New York Rangers shelled out in order to lure Artemi Panarin to The Big Apple during the off-season, well you can stop questioning it now.
Because, and although we are only a couple of months into the regular season, the elite Russian wing is more than justifying that hefty price tag.
He has, along with Mika Zibanejad before his injury, been the best player on this Rangers team by some distance and his excellence shone through yet again against the Washington Capitals.
He scored the first two goals of the game, both on the power play, to put the Blueshirts in the driving seat.
His first goal was a trademark wrister after receiving a cross-ice pass from Kaapo Kakko before skating into space and unleashing a bomb past Braden Holtby.
And rookie and star combined again for the second goal as Kakko spinned and put a dish through the legs of a Capitals defenseman, and Panarin was on hand to hammer home his second goal.
The pair of goals stretched Panarin’s points streak to 12 straight games, the first Ranger to have achieved that feat since Scott Gomez posted a 13-game point streak from Dec. 6, 2007 to Jan. 2, 2008.
Panarin also has a multi-point game in six of his last seven outings, and he leads the Rangers in points with 25 (11 goals, 14 assists) through 19 games.
The Rangers’ huge investment in Artemi Panarin has been a shrewd one so far and the Russian stud is playing his part to ensure it pays off.
4. Another milestone for The King
Henrik Lundqvist got his second straight start against the Washington Capitals as the Rangers attempt to try and get him well and truly going in a flow.
Well, it worked on Wednesday as Lundqvist made 30 saves from 31 shots, including six stops from seven power play shots.
He stood on his head, with help from the post and the crossbar, in the first period to keep it a tied game heading into the second period where the Rangers exploded offensively.
But, it was a historic night for The King for another reason as the win over the Caps ensured that Lundqvist racked up another milestone in his illustrious career.
Lundqvist earned his 454th career NHL win, which tied Curtis Joseph for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
dark. Next. The real reason the penalty kill is so bad
It was certainly the perfect way to achieve that particular milestone, but whether Lundqvist can catch Ed Belfour‘s 484 wins remains to be seen.
However, it was nice to see Lundqvist’s efforts rewarded with an impressive win and he certainly got plenty of help from his defense.