Shesterkin, Kreider & Schneider lead the way in 3-0 shutout

The New York Rangers came up big as they finished their tour of California, beating the San Jose Sharks 3-0.  It evens their record for this road trip to 2-2 and they have a chance to go home with a winning record if they can beat the Flyers on Saturday.

There were an awful lot of reasons to be impressed with this win.  The beat a San Jose team that had won three games in a row and the Blueshirts were coming off a tough loss to the Kings on Monday.  They lost Alexis Lafreniere to the COVID protocol just before the game so it was a makeshift lineup. Not only was the coach from the the AHL, but six starters have been promoted from Hartford as well.

It was a sparkling debut for defenseman Braden Schneider who looked very, very good in his first game and then he iced the win by scoring the Rangers second goal less than two minutes into the third period.

Schneider wasn’t the only hero.  Igor Shesterkin was simply outstanding, making 37 saves as he notched his second straight shutout.  Chris Kreider scored the first shorthanded goal of his career and added an empty net goal, the 200th goal of his career.  Queens born Anthony Greco played in his second NHL game and was energetic and noticeable.  In fact, all of the Hartford call-ups were very good.  It was a solid effort by the entire team and an inspiring win.

It was another statement win for the Blueshirts as they rebounded after a loss to win for the ninth time this season.  The team that everyone says cannot beat playoff teams are now over .500 against teams currently in the playoff mix with a record of 9-8-1.

After beating the Sharks in New York 1-0 on a first period power play goal, it looked like a repeat when Kreider and Mika Zibanejad broke out on a two-on-one while killing a first period penalty to Ryan Strome.  Zibanejad made the perfect feed to Kreider who beat San Jose goalie Adin Hill.

Coach Kris Knoblauch spoke about how important it was to get ahead early. “That shorthanded goal that we scored allowed us to have a little bit of comfort, it’s always easier when you’ve got tha lead, you’re not pressing,  you’re not cheating to score on offense…everyone showed up and played.”

After a scoreless second period,  it was rookie Braden Schneider who scored during a strong shift in the offensive zone.

It was a perfect shot and came when the Rangers really need to build on that 1-0 lead.

They held the 2-0 lead until late in the third period.  They had to kill a Trouba penalty with three minutes to go, but San Jose didn’t pull their goalie until the power play had almost expired.   Kreider potted the empty net goal on an assist from Kevin Rooney and the game was over.

Here’s a video recap of the game.

The man of the hour was 20-year-old rookie Braden Schneider.

Knoblauch talked about him.  “I was very proud of him, the way he played.  His first couple shifts, he was in the play a lot, made really simple plays, advanced the puck to the forwards,  I don’t recall him being out of position defensively  all night.  That’s his game.  Nice to to see him rewarded  scoring that goal.”

Schneider spoke about the experience. “I don’t think it hit me until my first shift of the game, after that I got a little more comfortable as the game went on.  I am very happy with how I played, I wanted to show I could play physical and perform at this level.  It’s one game. I can’t get too high on myself, but I was very happy with how it went.’

When asked about the goal, he said ” I was in the right place at the right time, I couldn’t have drawn it up better myself.”

If tonight was any indication, Schneider will be around for a while.