You could have been forgiven for fearing the worst by the end of another horrific first period effort by the New York Rangers in Montreal on Saturday.
As was the case against the Ottawa Senators the night before, the New York Rangers retreated into their shells at the first sign of trouble and collapsed after one small setback.
Despite an encouraging opening minute in which the Blueshirts kept the Montreal Canadiens penned into their own zone, it wasn’t long before the flaws that have plagued this team reared their ugly head again.
Max Domi started the damage at 2:03 in the first period, and three more unanswered goals from the rampant Canadiens probably had Rangers Head Coach David Quinn ready to demand wholesale changes to this roster.
Had this team not listened to their seething Head Coach the night before in Ottawa? Had certain veterans who were clearly called out and dragged across the coals not learnt their lesson?
One of those veteran players who were chastised by Quinn, Chris Kreider, delivered a crushing hit early in the first period to almost send a message to the coaching staff that he was ready to step up to the plate.
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However, that fight quickly ebbed away and the Montreal Canadiens went on to have their wicked way with the Rangers for a period and a bit.
They toyed with the Blueshirts, they beat up on them almost to the point of submission and, after Shea Weber sent one of his trademark slapshots past Alexandar Georgiev for Montreal’s fourth goal of the game, you could have been forgiven for having horrible flashbacks to that 9-3 game in Tampa a week ago.
It was ugly and given the youthful and raw nature of this Rangers roster, you sensed a further almighty implosion bubbling away under the surface.
You could almost foresee David Quinn exploding in his postgame media conference for the second night in a row, which would then lead to a full-blown autopsy of this team on Monday.
But, just like flicking a light switch, the Blueshirts all of a sudden awoke from their slumber, remembered the harsh but true words from their Head Coach ringing in their ears and then proceeded to mount a comeback for the ages.
Filip Chytil was the first to flip the narrative after sending a wicked one-timer beyond Carey Price minutes after Weber’s goal had seemingly sealed the Rangers’ fate.
That effort from a player who has been playing like a man reborn following his recall from the AHL sparked a bigger resurgence as goals from Pavel Buchnevich and Brendan Lemieux gave the Rangers life heading into the third period.
And that’s where things got interesting.
Because, for one moment it seemed normal service had been resumed in this game after Artturi Lehkonen restored a two-goal lead for the Canadiens, who looked primed to go on and finish the job.
The New York Rangers were having none of it, however. Showing signs of the maturity they have flashed on occasion this year, the Blueshirts regrouped, regained their composure and then proceeded to stun Montreal.
Artemi Panarin continued his recent hot streak with his 12th goal of the year, before Brendan Lemieux‘s second tuck of the night made it a tied game.
And Lemieux really was the epitome of this come-from-behind win, which was sealed thanks to Jacob Trouba‘s shot from the point that trickled through Price.
Because, battered and bruised from the night before in Ottawa, Lemieux took to the ice in Montreal sporting a hell of a black eye and a few missing teeth.
But, rather than lick his wounds, Lemieux did what he does best and was at the heart of everything good the Rangers did as they turned this game on its head.
You need high-character players and, quite frankly, absolute warriors like that in every locker room, but especially on a team that is dominated by players under the age of 21.
Lemieux’s spirit flowed through this team in the final two periods and the Blueshirts’ gutsy display drew a plethora of praise from David Quinn in the wake of the game, who was certainly in better spirits than he was after the Senators debacle.
Granted, this win is just a band aid on what is a much deeper wound and while the Rangers deserve all the praise in the world for ignoring the narrative, not completely imploding and coming back to beat a Montreal team that could force their way into the postseason, there are still concerns to be addressed.
For one, the severe lack of consistency is beyond alarming by this point and that was emphasized when the Rangers dismantled the best team in the NHL in the Washington Capitals to then being dismantled themselves by the Ottawa Senators just days later.
Too many players on this team blow hot and cold and this heroic effort on Saturday night will count for nothing if they return home on Monday and put up another stinker against the Minnesota Wild.
However, in saying all of that, there were signs on Saturday that this team may have finally figured it all out and realized that they will not survive if they simply pick and choose the games they turn up in.
The fact that they rolled their sleeves up, were ready for battle and then went to war with the Montreal Canadiens to claw the game back proves there is a lot of heart and fight within that Rangers locker room.
As such, there is reason to be optimistic when it comes to thinking this team may finally be turning a corner and are slowly learning what it takes to overcome adversity and win consistently.
But, for now at least, the New York Rangers did what they had to in order to salvage something from what was rapidly spiralling into a nightmare road trip, and they slammed the breaks on the threat of their season quickly descending into chaos.
This is a marathon and not a sprint, after all, but the fact that the Rangers delivered when the chips were really down is a good sign going forward.