The Rangers record impressive shutout against Vegas Golden Knights

The New York Rangers defeat edthe Las Vegas Golden Knights on the road in a thrilling match. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev recorded his fourth career shutout as five different Rangers registered goals. The Rangers’ defensemen continue to contribute offensively.

The New York Rangers successfully kicked off their West Coast road trip with an impressive shutout win over the Vegas Knights. Rangers Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Jesper Fast, and Mika Zibanejad all scored while the Knights couldn’t get a single puck past Alexandar Georgiev.

Georgiev’s remarkable performances in the net continued as he has been swiping away scoring chances from the opposing team game after game. The 23-year-old goaltender added another career shutout to his personal record against a challenging veteran opponent. This win also marked his second shutout within eight days.

For the first game in four games, the Blueshirts were able to open the scoring. Not only was Panarin able to get the puck past goaltender Malcolm Subban on a wrist shot, but  Kreider added his own goal just 14 seconds later. Although the first period scoring ended there, Trouba netted a goal of his own, in the second period, illustrating why the Rangers lead the league in defensemen scoring.

Around the nine and a half mark in the middle frame, Fast extended the comfortable lead to make it a 4-0 game. Despite the Knights’ persistence in front of the Rangers net, Georgiev remained just as solid as he has been the past four games.

A few third period penalties for both teams later, Zibanejad was able to score on the power play when his centering pass richochet off a Vegas player and into the net with under five minutes remaining. With that, Vegas’s fate was sealed and the Rangers celebrated a well-earned victory.

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.

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.