Blue Line Station
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A 3-2 nail biter of a win for the Rangers over Montreal

By Steve Paulus

Nov 16, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Julien Gauthier (15) scores a goal on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau (30) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Julien Gauthier (15) scores a goal on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau (30) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 16, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports /

Notes on the game

  • The Strome-Panarin-Kakko line was totally dominant in the first period. They were cycling well and getting excellent shots.  In the second and third period they reverted to the fancy passing style and they didn’t do as well.
  • Chris Kreider now has 12 goals in just 16 games.  He is three behind Leon Draisaitl who leads with 15. He is on a pace to score 62 goals.
  • Filip Chytil played very well in his first game back from injured reserve. It was his work on the forecheck that helped spring the puck loose on Gauthier’s game winning goal.  In the first period he had two stellar scoring opportunities and in the third period he hit the crossbar after a strong move to the net.
  • The goal by Gauthier was his third in the NHL. He had two goals last season for the Rangers and hopefully this will help get him going.  He’s played well over the last three games and appears to have won a job in the starting lineup.  Gallant complemented him and said “He’s forechecking better, he’s skating really well…we really like his game.”
  • The MSG guys were making a big point out of the fact that this was the 200th all-time win for the Rangers over the Canadiens.  They neglected to mention that the Blueshirts have dropped 335 games to Montreal.  Their all-time winning percentage of .393 against Montreal is their worst against any NHL team.
  • Adam Fox led all Blueshirts with 25:07 minutes of ice time. He led the team with five blocked shots.
  • Ryan Reaves led all Rangers with five hits, though the team was outhit by Montreal 27-23.  It was only the third time this season that the Rangers have been outhit and the second time by the Canadiens.
  • That’s three straight games with over 30 shots for the first time this season.  They reached 30 shots in a game only three times in the first 13 games.
  • The Rangers have reached 23 points fastest since 2016 when they got to that point also in their 16th game of the season.
  • The Rangers are undefeated against Atlantic Division opponents, winning all five games.   Of course, they haven’t played Tampa or Boston yet. They play the Canadiens only one more time, on December 22 at Madison Square Garden.
  • This is the second four-game winning streak of the season.  The last time they won five games in a row was in February 2020.
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