Blue Line Station
Fansided

Shesterkin’s debut, other takeaways from Avs win

By Andrew Steele-Davis

The New York Rangers celebrate after a goal
The New York Rangers celebrate after a goal /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 07: The New York Rangers celebrate a first period power-play goal by Chris Kreider #20 against the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden on January 07, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 07: The New York Rangers celebrate a first period power-play goal by Chris Kreider #20 against the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden on January 07, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

2. Rangers stick to the script

Would you really have the New York Rangers any other way this year?

Okay, so maybe a little bit less stress would be nice every now and then, but you can’t deny that this team is a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

That was evident again on Tuesday as the Blueshirts dug themselves out of another hole to take down one of the best teams in the NHL.

Backstopped by a rookie goalie, the Rangers faced a two-goal deficit after the opening six-and-a-half minutes, and no one could be blamed for fearing the worst.

However, and as has been the case for the majority of the regular season, this group boasts a bucketload of resiliency and they fought their way back into the game, before finishing it off and icing the contest.

Like many games this year, it wasn’t always pretty but the Rangers did the fundamentals well against the Avs, including managing the puck well and playing physical when they had to.

And, sit down for this, the Blueshirts also excelled well in the faceoff circle, winning 55% of their draws which certainly helped their cause.

They ensured their game wasn’t riddled with errors and they did a good job of limiting the most offensively potent team in the NHL, especially when it came to protecting Igor Shesterkin on his NHL debut.

The Rangers were outshot, only just though, but they were clinical when it mattered most and a more complete performance snapped a three-game losing streak and was the perfect tonic following what was a nightmare and tough road trip in Canada.

And, as has been the case all year, it was anything but boring with the New York Rangers arguably one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the National Hockey League this year.

Home/Analysis