My three stars of the game
- Kaapo Kakko is the well deserving recipient of the number one star. His two goals in the second period were the difference for the Rangers and he showed maturity and skill in scoring them. He was guilty of passing instead of shooting on the second goal, but the moves he made to get it past Bishop were sublime. It makes you wonder what his numbers would be if he had some time on the top two lines.
- Jesper Fast had an excellent two way game. He had an assist on the game winning goal and made the play to keep possession of the puck. He also had two crucial blocked shots in the last five minutes of the game when the Stars were really putting on the pressure. His work on the penalty kill was outstanding.
- The third star could go to Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, Jacob Trouba or Brendan Lemieux, but Brett Howden deserves the recognition tonight. He played one of his best games as a Ranger on defense and offense. He got the primary assist on the game winning goal and spent some tough minutes on the penalty kill. It’s encouraging to see the progress that the young Rangers are making and hopefully it means that he and Kakko have turned a corner.
The official three stars
- Kaapo Kakko
- Adam Fox
- Mika Zibanejad
What’s next
There’s no rest for the weary as the Rangers head to Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. Colorado is only two points out of first place in the Central Division and have a lot to play for.
The three game road trip concludes Saturday night in Phoenix as the Blueshirts take on the Arizona Coyotes.