Things we learned from another Rangers’ elimination game win

Mika May

As much as has been made about the top-six struggling in this series, Mika Zibanejad has been consistently good throughout the postseason and his exploits have perhaps gone unnoticed due to the struggles around him.

After coming up big in the final few games of the Round One match-up against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zibanejad has tried his best to carry this team on his back this series and he delivered another big moment on Saturday.

Minutes after Tyler Motte had got the Blueshirts on the board, the top power play unit was called upon to get to work and they did what they do best with Zibanejad carrying the puck over the blue line, beating two Hurricanes players, faking a shot and then slipping the puck past Antti Raanta.

It was a beautiful goal but also a crucial one given how quickly it came after Motte’s goal, and it was clear that the goal broke the spirits of the Canes who were never able to really recover.

Zibanejad now has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) through 13 postseason games, including seven points (four goals, three assists) on the power play, and he has been one big-hitter that has been able to be consistently relied upon.

That will have to be the case in Game Seven if the Rangers are to continue this wild postseason ride.

Igor! Igor! Igor!

Games Three and Four against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Round One seem a long time ago now, don’t they?

There was plenty written about Igor Shesterkin and his capabilities to handle the heat of postseason battle in the wake of two rough outings in Pittsburgh, but it is fair to say he has only responded since then.

And then some.

Since that ultimate test of character in what is his first taste of the playoffs, Shesterkin has found ways to elevate his game to unfathomable new heights, somehow getting better with each passing game.

The Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy finalist has been the MVP of the playoffs for the Rangers thus far, and his performance in Game Six on Saturday night may well go down as the statement moment.

Not only did the stud goalie stop 37 of the 39 shots he faced, but he also contributed offensively with two assists, becoming just the fifth goalie in NHL history to register two assists in a playoff game and the first in NHL history to do so in an elimination game.

His impact was significant all night. He pulled off two huge stops to deny Sebastien Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, allowing Tyler Motte to score the opening goal of the game seconds later, and he came up big when his team needed him the most time after time after time.

Shesterkin, who boasts a .937 save percentage and a 2.10 goals-against average since Game Five against the Penguins, is playing at the very peak of his powers right now and you can imagine a world in which the Rangers do reach the Stanley Cup Final based on the elite level of play they are getting from their netminder right now.

And, in helping to mastermind a crucial Game Six win, Shesterkin also achieved more history by establishing a franchise record for the longest home win streak (six) in a playoff year, surpassing Mike Richter (5 GP in 1994), Steve Baker (5 GP in 1981), Ed Giacomin (5 GP in 1974) and Dave Kerr (5 GP in 1940).

This is Igor Shesterkin’s world – we just live in it.

Tough as they come

The Rangers were handed a significant boost prior to Game Six when Barclay Goodrow was inserted back into the lineup.

Goodrow had missing for the Rangers since Game One of the First Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a suspected ankle fracture, and he was seen leaving the hotel in a boot and on crutches in the wake of the game.

However, fast forward to the present day and the gritty bottom-six winger made his return in Game Six on Saturday, helping a dominant fourth-line to set the tone one shot on goal, one hit and two blocked shots in 13:16 minutes of total ice time.

Goodrow also logged 3:15 of shorthanded time, helping the Rangers PK go 3-for-3, and he was a big factor on the ice and will continue to be for as long as the Rangers continue to hang around in the postseason.

But the impressive part about all of this is that the usual recovery timeline from a fractured ankle is around six weeks, and yet Goodrow was back in three-and-a-half and didn’t miss a beat in his return.

The Rangers acquired Goodrow for his toughness, his leadership and his postseason experience, and he showed exactly what he’s made of by returning way ahead of schedule.

The future is bright

Having stockpiled draft capital and high-end prospect after high-end prospect, the Rangers have set themselves up for a bright future and these playoffs are just hammering that fact home night after night.

Three of the team’s hopeful franchise cornerstones in Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière have really come of age this postseason, and they are proving that they can be elite contributors in New York when it really matters most.

And Game Six was yet another exclamation point on just how good The Kid Line has truly become for the Rangers, and it was perhaps the biggest sign yet that Chytil, Kakko and Lafrenière really are as good as hoped.

Chytil had his signature moment of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with two goals, both of which came at crucial points in the game. His first came in on the rush as he skated in and ripped the puck past Antti Raanta to make it a 3-0 game early in the second period.

Then, just after former Blueshift Brady Skjei had made it a 3-1 game, Chytil used his backhand to fire a shot past Raanta from the faceoff dot to effectively halt any comeback the Hurricanes had planned to stage.

It was rich rewards for Chytil who hasn’t got the stats to back up what has been an impressive postseason eye-test wise, while both Kakko and Lafrenière were huge all night and that line could be one we get used to seeing dominate for years to come.

Chytil, Lafrenière and Kakko have become fully-fledged men in these playoffs, and that’s an incredibly positive sign for this franchise no matter what happens in Raleigh on Monday.