New York Rangers: Strome’s revival, other takeaways from Toronto thriller

1. Strome’s revival

Rewind back to Nov. 2018, when the New York Rangers pulled the trigger on a one-for-one trade by sending Ryan Spooner to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan Strome.

Back then Strome was in very real danger of becoming a hockey vagabond, a once highly-touted prospect facing the serious threat of burning out and becoming entrenched in NHL obscurity.

Strome arrived back in the Big Apple – he was drafted by the New York Islanders with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft – with just two points in 18 games and question marks over what he would exactly bring to the table for the Blueshirts.

Fast forward to the present day, however, and Strome has been nothing short of a revelation during his stint on Broadway, which started with 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 63 games last year.

Even that wasn’t enough to silence some of the doubters who were quick to suggest that Strome should be used as trade bait, something I was dubious about.

And, for those critics who warned not to expect much production from a 26-year-old center, well, it is fair to say that they have also been silenced so far.

Because Strome has been lights out for the Rangers this year, putting up 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points through 38 games.

And the forward produced arguably his best game in a Rangers uniform against the Toronto Maple Leafs, finishing the night with a four-point showing (two goals, two assists).

Both of his goals were highlight-reel plays with the first a spectacular effort to beat Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen with a backhand, while his second goal was an absolute ripper of a slapshot that gave Andersen no chance.

And then there were the assists, both of which carried extreme importance. Strome slid a perfect dish over to Brett Howden for the game’s first goal, before having the state of mind to throw a sublime breakout pass to Artemi Panarin that led to Tony DeAngelo’s overtime winner.

It was just a stellar display from Ryan Strome who seems to have found the ideal home at Madison Square Garden, and he’s fast establishing himself as a cornerstone piece of this rebuild.

Strome is also ranked tied ninth in the NHL in primary assists this season with 18, while he is tied for 17th in points per game this year with 0.92, two stats that perfectly illustrate just how effective the forward has been this season.

2. Learning curve

Whatever happens between now and the end of the regular season, this New York Rangers team would have learned a hell of a lot about themselves.

And you can file last night’s game in Toronto under the valuable learning curve banner.

Because, and while it wasn’t always pretty, the Blueshirts overcame a flurry of setbacks to claim what could prove to be a defining win in their season.

Coming out with an aggressive approach to land the first blow of the night, the Rangers were punched on the mouth minutes after Brett Howden’s goal when William Nylander made it a tied game on the power play.

However, the Blueshirts as they have often done this season composed themselves and went on to take control of the contest thanks to Ryan Strome’s two-goal salvo.

Even when Auston Matthews took advantage of poor execution on the faceoff by the Rangers to make it a one-goal game, there was no mini implosion with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad combining for the second game in a row to respond in perfect fashion.

Then came the biggest test. With Toronto swarming in and around the Rangers zone, Alexandar Georgiev was standing on his head until he was breached twice in the third period.

Matthews’ second goal of the game, which came at 19:07 in the third period, had all the ingredients to really break the Rangers physically and mentally given that they were playing the second game of a back-to-back following a three-day break.

You really need to give Head Coach David Quinn credit for the way he has cultivated a never-say-die attitude within that locker room, and it was on full display for everyone to see on Saturday.

Those players, who form one of the youngest rosters in the entire NHL, gathered themselves, weathered the storm in the opening seconds of overtime and then proceeded to deliver the final knockout blow.

It was the ultimate proof that the class of 2019-20 can handle adversity by the bucketload, and the way they navigated the ups and downs of last night’s contest should stand them in good stead for the remainder of the year.

3. Panarin chasing the greats

We may as well dedicate a permanent section of this feature to Artemi Panarin given that he can be relied upon to produce some extraordinary moment in almost every game.

That was the case against the Toronto Maple Leafs as Panarin weaved his magic yet again, finishing with a three-point night with three assists that all belong on any highlights show.

His first assist of the night on Ryan Strome’s first goal of the game was the epitome of everything Panarin is about.

Displaying a load of hustle to pressurise the puck carrier, Panarin forced a turnover in the Toronto zone before diving to ensure the puck reached Strome who did the rest.

Panarin’s second assist, again on a Strome goal, was timed to perfection and allowed Strome to set himself before unleashing one hell of a thunderous slapshot beyond Frederik Andersen.

Panarin’s most important assist came in overtime, though, as the Russian stud collected a breakout pass from Strome before sending a perfectly-timed dish over to Tony DeAngelo who potted the game-winner.

And yet another multi-point night from Panarin put him in some elite company in the rich history of this storied franchise.

Reaching the 50-point plateau, Panarin became the fifth player in franchise history to record 50 or more points within his first 38 games as a Ranger, joining a prestigious list of names featuring the likes of Marian Gaborik (38 games), Mark Messier (38) and the great Wayne Gretzky (36).

Also, Panarin became the first Ranger to register 50 or more points in his first 38 games of a season since Jaromir Jagr achieved the feat in 2006-07.

Here is one more little nugget for you too, Panarin also tallied his 200th career road point in the NHL on Saturday, joining Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid as the only players to achieve 200 points on the road since Panarin entered the league in 2015-16.

We are at the end of this decade and I have a funny feeling that when we reach the conclusion of the next one, we’ll be referring to Artemi Panarin as one of the most important free agency signings in franchise history for the New York Rangers.

4. Faceoff woes

What is going on with the New York Rangers in the faceoff circle this year?

They rank among the worst teams in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage (46.5%), sitting just one spot above the Buffalo Sabres who have the worst winning percentage in the faceoff circle in the entire league (45.1%).

The Rangers’ struggles at winning draws this season is hardly a new concept given that they enlisted the help of former Ranger Brad Richards, the Brad Richards of 4,171 faceoff wins in his NHL career, in to help back in November.

However, it hasn’t had the desired effect with the Blueshirts still struggling to conjure up a solution to their faceoff woes.

And their inability to dominate in the circle nearly came to haunt them against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, who dominated in that area by winning 68% of their draws.

Even Rangers Head Coach David Quinn spoke about his team’s lack of success in the circle during his postgame media conference:

“I thought a big problem was we didn’t win faceoffs. I think we were about 30% on the draws. It cost us a lot of zone time; it cost us a lot of shots. Usually, we’re a lot better than that on draws. That was a big problem for us but I just like how we gutted it out and found a way to win.”

It was a big problem indeed and it so nearly cost the Rangers as Auston Matthews took control in the faceoff circle in the second period before hammering a shot past Alexandar Georgiev.

That moment encapsulated the Blueshirts’ lack of ability in the faceoff circle on Saturday, with Mika Zibanejad the only Ranger to win over 35 percent of his draws.

Granted, faceoff success isn’t conducive to the kind of success every team craves, but it certainly helps and the New York Rangers must go back to school and put in some extra work in the circle.