My three stars of the game
- In a game when the defense shined, it was Tony DeAngelo who led the way. He played a tough, physical game and drove the offense. He played 22:25, second most of any defenseman and had four shots. DeAngelo gets knocked for his defense, but in this game, he held his own defensively while still leading the offense.
- The anchor of the defense was Jacob Trouba who played an unheralded game, but was on the ice for every important shift. This was the kind of game that Trouba was brought to New York to play and he came through.
- Brendan Smith takes a lot of heat, but this was his best game on defense in a couple years. Not only was he solid on defense, but he also contributed to the offense, leading two rushes into the Blues zone that were nearly goals.
The official three stars
- Jaden Schwartz
- Jordan Binnington
- Colton Parayko
What’s next
From the frying pan into the fire. The Washington Capitals are the Rangers’ next rival, coming to Madison Square Garden on Thursday. It’s a must win for the Blueshirts. They cannot continue to count on their playoff rivals to keep losing.