Comeback kids do it again, 5-1 over the Penguins

The New York Rangers did it again, rebounding from an embarrassing 7-4 loss to the Devils to come back and play one of their best all around games of the season to dismantle the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-1.  As far as statement games go, this was one helluva statement.

Coach Gerard Gallant was thrilled with the win. “I was really happy with the way we played all night. No turnovers, very few. It was nothing like the other night. That’s the way we can play.  We played pretty good in Tampa, but tonight was probably our most complete game.”

There was no doubt that the Blueshirts came to play as they swarmed the Penguins from the opening shift.  They jumped out to a 3-0 lead and then killed a double minor penalty.   Coach Gerard Gallant said that the penalty kill was crucial.

Gallant said “To me the turning point was killing that four minute penalty at the end of the first period. If they would have got one, it’s a different story. But it takes a lot out of them when they don’t score on that four minute power play.”

Gallant acknowledged that the addition of Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte to the penalty killing unit has made them even better.  Copp led all Rangers with 3:17 minutes on the penalty kill, even more than Mika Zibanejad.

The Rangers never let up, even with the three goal lead, adding a shorthanded goal in the second period and a final even strength goal in the third.

The real turning point for the game might have been when Gallant filled out his lineup card.   It was  a night for experimentation for the coach and he completely revamped all four lines and returned Braden Schneider to the lineup.   All of his moves worked as much as they didn’t on Tuesday.

Frank Vatrano was moved to the right wing of Zibanejad and Chris Kreider while Andrew Copp played on the right side of Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin.  Jonny Brodzinski returned to the lineup, replacing Ryan Reaves.

Alexis Lafrenière was returned the his natural left wing position with Chytil and Goodrow and that line had a very good outing.  He led off the Rangers scoring just two minutes into the game.  He blocked a shot in the defensive zone and then joined the rush putting home a pass from Chytil. “I think we played pretty good as a line….it was good, Goody’s always doing the right things and Fil’s speed is the key to our line. It’s  a lot of fun playing with them and we’ll try to keep it going.”

In this game we got a hint of how deep this lineup could be as all three  top lines scored.  And this is with Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney still out with injuries.

With the likelihood that the Rangers could face Pittsburgh in the opening round, the way the Blueshirts so thoroughly dominated the Penguins was notable.  It was impressive.

Notes on the game

• The Rangers now have 87 points, one point behind Pittsburgh with a game in hand.  The Blueshirts actually have a better points percentage than the Penguins.  The Caps beat Buffalo in a shootout so they remain five points behind New York.
• The Rangers have a home record of 21-6-3, fifth best in the NHL.  The Penguins came into the game with the best road record in the league and left with the second best.
• The Rangers have a record of 16-6-2 in games after a loss.
• The Rangers have 35 regulation wins this season, third most in the league after Colorado(37) and Carolina (36).
• They tied the season series with the Penguins 1-1 and have outscored them 5-2 in the two games.  Igor Shesterkin has allowed only two power play goals in those two games, something that could get into the heads of the Penguins if the two teams meet in the playoffs.
• Chris Kreider scored twice to reach 44 goals on the season. He is tied with Leon Draisaitl for second place in the goal scoring race and is two behind Auston Matthews.  He is on a pace to score 55 goals, a total that would set a franchise record.
• Kreider leads the team with three shorthanded goals and eight game winning goals.
• Mika Zibanejad had three assists and moved into 19th place in the NHL scoring race.  With his first period assist, he reach 500 points in his NHL career. It’s a total reached by only 516 players in the history of the NHL.
• Artemi Panarin got into the scoring with a third period assist.  He leads the Rangers with 74 points, 15th most in the NHL. His 58 assists are the fourth most in the league.
• Alexis Lafrenière has a five game point scoring streak, the longest of his career.
• The Jacob Trouba/K’Andre Miller duo were rock solid on defense.  They led all Rangers in ice time and were a combined +4 with five shots on goal and four hits.
• Braden Schneider returned to the lineup, paired with Patrik Nemeth, after sitting out the New Jersey game. The pair worked well, better than when Nemeth and Justin Braun formed the third defense pair.  It will make picking the lineup an interesting challenge for Gallant moving forward.
• Adding the new bodies has really allowed Gallant to share ice time. Andrew Copp led all Ranger forwards with 18:37 minutes of ice time.
• Of the new faces, Tyler Motte had a very strong game on the penalty kill and lead the team with five hits.  His speed is impressive and he works very hard.
• Although there have been some concerns about Igor Shesterkin, especially after he was chased in the Devils game, but it’s worth noting that he has allowed only four goals in his other last three starts with three of the goals on the power play.  He stil leads the league with a .936 save percentage and he improved his goals against average to 2.11, third best in the NHL.
• Andrew Copp was moved up to the right wing on the Strome line and responded with a goal adding to the two assists he notched on Tuesday.
• The healthy scratches for the Blueshirts were Ryan Reaves, Julien Gauthier, Greg McKegg, Libor Hajek and Justin Braun.  The report is that both Kaako Kappo and Kevin Rooney have resumed skating and when they return, an already packed  bench will be even more crowded

My 3 Rangers stars

1. Chris Kreider was a force in this game, scoring twice including once shorthanded, killing penalties and throwing checks.  He shows no signs of slowing down and is having a spectacular season.
2. Mika Zibanejad did not score in this game, but he had three sublime assists and has to share in much of Kreider’s success this season.  He led the way in an absolutely crucial game.
3. Jacob Trouba gets the third star, though Alexis Lafrenière should get some consideration.  However, anytime a team can hold the high powered Penguins to only one power play goal, you have to give some recognition to the blue liners. Trouba was the best of the lot, leading the team in ice time, with five shot attempts, two blocks and three hits.

The official 3 stars

1. Mika Zibanejad
2. Chris Kreider
3. Alexis Lafrenière

What’s next

The Rangers host the resurgent Buffalo Sabres in a 5pm start at Madison Square Garden. The Sabres have shown new life since the Jack Eichel trade and have gone to overtime in their last four games, winning three times including victories against Calgary, Vancouver and Pittsburgh.  In March they have regulation wins against Minnesota, Vegas and twice against Toronto.

Then the Blueshirts head to Pittsburgh for a rematch on Tuesday with what will undoubtedly be a very motivated Penguins team.  That’s followed by  a game the next night in Detroit.