Blue Line Station
Fansided

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

By Steve Paulus

Mar 25, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Andrew Copp (18) celebrates his goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) and center Ryan Strome (16) and left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Andrew Copp (18) celebrates his goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) and center Ryan Strome (16) and left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 25, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Frank Vatrano (77) scores a goal against Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Frank Vatrano (77) scores a goal against Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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
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