Divide this game in half and we would be relating two completely different stories. The Rangers were completely outplayed for the first 29 minutes, falling behind 3-1. They then woke up and scored six straight goals and whipped the hapless Arizona Coyotes 7-3. The record books will reflect a one-sided contest with the Rangers scoring the most goals in a game this season. But watching, it was completely different.
Coach Gerard Gallant had an apt description when he said “It was tough to watch the first period for sure.”
Excuses were rampant after the first period. The team had a tough commute back from North Carolina and they didn’t get home until after 3am and were sleep deprived. It certainly looked that way as they sleep walked through the first period and a half.
Jacob Trouba alluded to the commute. “It took a little bit to get our legs and our momentum going…we like our game, we stuck with it. We know we have a team that’s capable of turning it on and off. It was a unique 48 hours for us.”
Gallant gave full credit to Trouba for turning the game around. Gallant called the shorthanded goal Trouba created the “momentum changer.” He said Trouba is “outstanding. Shooting the puck the way he does…the way he defends and plays an all around game…That’s why he’s the leader and the character of our group..He sets the tone and wakes us up sometimes…he’s been around here a while and guys really respect him.”
As they have in their last three victories, they came back from a deficit to win and in this game they didn’t just come back, they roared back.
Chris Kreider’s hat trick capped a terrific outing and he is tied for the lead in goal scoring in the NHL. Trouba talked about Kreider. “He comes to the rink every day with the same mentality….a lot of players, including myself, search for a while to find your identity in your game..find what you’re good at and how you can be consistent. He’s found what he’s good at and he knows what he’s doing out there and he’s confident doing it and he’s a huge part of our team.”
Gallant lauded his work. “Kreids is a complete player. He’s doing a great job killing penalties for us this year and he plays the game the right way.”
Was this a troubling win? Absolutely. While it is encouraging that they were able to come back and win, they are displaying a nasty habit of falling behind early. Their ability to bounce back from adversity has been a team trademark, but they need to figure out how to be ready when the puck is dropped. That’s the lesson that they needed to learn from the Carolina game. Obviously they didn’t.