The Rangers record impressive shutout against Vegas Golden Knights

The game

Despite the Knights looking sharp from the start and ultimately outshooting New York 38 to 25, the Rangers turned the tables on Vegas and secure two precious points. Although the Blueshirts handed the Knights five power play opportunities in true Rangers fashion, Vegas were not able to generate any scoring on the man-advantages.

Period one—Vegas’ Reilly Smith generated an early scoring opportunity less than a minute after puck drop before being denied by Georgiev. For most of the first period, the Knights were able to spend a lot of time in the slot, but nothing came of occupying the prime scoring area.

This match marked Subban’s seventh start in a row with Marc-Andre Fleury a spectator from the bench.  With Fleury just back from a personal leave of absence, head coach Gerard Gallant decided to start Subban, given how well he had been playing.

At the opposite end of the ice, Georgiev was able to shut down the Vegas breakaways and even a 3-on-2 odd man rush, never showing a moment of weakness between the pipes. Vegas, infamously aggressive on the forecheck, put pressure on the Rangers right from the start.

Both teams took multiple long shots on net, but it only took the Rangers 12 minutes to initially change the pace of the game with Panarin’s 14th goal of the season. Defenseman Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo picked up the assists, contributing to the offensive record the New York blueliners possess.

Kreider’s seventh of the season came with a sigh of relief from the veteran winger as he ended a six-game goal drought. Ryan Strome and Ryan Lindgren registered assists on Kreider’s tip-in to develop a more substantial lead.

Period two— The Rangers follow up all the first period excitement with an equally thrilling middle frame. After only two penalties in the first, the Rangers capitalize on a 4 minute high sticking penalty to Vegas, which was even initially challenged by coach Gallant. Trouba’s fifth of the season, a smooth pass from his skate to his stick, seems to set him on pace for a possible career year, as he came off a 50-point-season last year with the Winnipeg Jets. Strome picked up his second point of the night and defender Adam Fox registered the secondary assist.

Strome delightfully continues to feed quality opportunities to his teammates as he remains one of the Rangers’ best players with 26 points in 29 games. Trouba’s efforts extending the lead didn’t end there; he was able to find Fast who then found the back of the net. Skjei tallied an assist with the fourth goal of the game.

After 15 shots on goal from Vegas and two penalties apiece later, the second period ended and the Rangers looked to build on their comfortable lead. In the past, the Rangers have let up on their focus and this resulted in opposing players scoring. A prime example comes from the New York/Montreal game in which the Rangers lost within the few minutes left.

The result of this game is reassuring in that the Blueshirts learn from their losses and continue to fortify their strengths. Vegas is no easy opponent by any means, and this outcome should only propel the Rangers more as they head into this tough road series.

Period three— Based on the past, heading into the last period can be a little worrisome for the Rangers. Thankfully the abundant lead cultivated the confidence for the group to play even better as the minutes ticked by. Around three minutes into the last, Brendan Lemieux and William Carrier released some tension and receive five minutes each for fighting. Lemieux was clearly a target after his check forced Cody Glass out of the game with an a possible concussion.

Well beyond this point, the Knights couldn’t continue to keep the pace as they did in the first period. The two additional man-advantages for each team solely benefited the Rangers as Zibanejad’s attempted pass deflects off Vegas’ Brayden McNabb past Subban for goal number five.

Even though the Knights were able to ample spend time in their offensive zone, Georgiev denied every opportunity for Vegas, and the five goals put up by the Rangers shouldn’t take away the spotlight from his performance.

Notes from the game

• The Rangers flipped the switch making Vegas the team to enter the last period down 4-0 as Vegas had done earlier this month to New York.
• The Panarin-Zibanejad-Kakko top line made a comeback. Trouba and Skjei remained partners, but with the top line this game.
• The New York Rangers continue to lead the NHL in offense from defense with 26 goals.
• Six different defensemen registered a point in the match against Vegas.
• The Knights have not been shut out since mid-February of last season against the Colorado Avalanche.
• Vegas won 60.7% of faceoffs while Rangers claimed the other 39.3%.
• The Rangers look better with their puck protection. They had nine giveaways but Vegas had 13.
• Fifth year defenseman Brady Skjei has recorded his 100th career point.
• Fast who is a predominantly defensive winger, was able to add to the offense with his third goal of the season.

Lastly, the playoff contention buzz surrounding the Rangers can be taken more seriously following this game. Indeed the Rangers are playing out of conference teams and they have a couple big games ahead, but they are finding ways to build off each game, win or lose. One of the primary reasons why, is that the Blueshirts have depth scoring, and they don’t rely or one player or line for offense.

The defenseman are able to contribute offensively, and the Rangers have forwards who supplement the defenders. The Rangers recently also tend to lay more hits than their opponents do, which shows physicality as a whole.

The club can also trust their backup goaltender to lead them to success. Utilizing both goaltenders is a weapon for any hockey organization and when the netminders are playing as well as Georgiev, well that puts you in a position to succeed..

My three stars

It’s hard not to agree with the three official stars of the game, so here is an in-depth explanation of ranking.

1. Alexandar Georgiev— while casually displaying his talent and proving he can go back-to-back, Georgiev continues to command attention. He has faced 151 shots in his last four games and only allowed four goals. For such big shoes to fill in veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s absence, Georgiev has well exceeded the expectations.
2. Jacob Trouba— the highly esteemed summer pick up from Winnipeg remains a brilliant addition for the franchise. The big-bodied defenseman is able to think on his feet and is quick with the puck. It is clear he able to sink a shot on his own and help set up his teammates. Trouba’s goal in this game was key in helping the Rangers ensure they kept their lead.
3. Ryan Strome— the center continues to be instrumental in setting up his linemates for scoring opportunities. His slick cross-ice pass to Kreider marked his first point of the night, then his set up for Trouba for his second. He continues to hold down the second place spot for team points (26) and assists (20). Strome has come to be one of the most consistent players for the Rangers and has contributed to New York more than most expected.

Official three stars

1. Alexandar Georgiev (38 saves)
2. Jacob Trouba (1 goal, 1 assist)
3. Ryan Strome (2 assists)

Next up

The momentum from this game can hopefully translate into a strong game for the Rangers as they take on the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday, December 10th at 10:30pm EST.