What a third period by the Rangers that was. Let me remind you that this game was tied at two at the end of two so to say that the Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 8-2 is a little ridiculous. Alas, the Rangers emphatically dispatched their original six rivals with a major outburst of dominance in the third period to completely take over the game.
Now, this wasn’t a perfect game. But as much as I could sit here and nitpick that this was wrong or that was wrong, I don’t think anyone cares after seeing the Rangers absolutely rock the Detroit Red Wings. Whether that third period was a case of the Red Wings imploding or the Blueshirts dominating, it was equally entertaining and just as good for the roster’s confidence.
12 different Rangers had points tonight. 8 of those had multiple points. That really does highlight just how good the third period was for a hockey club that needed it. For the Rangers, this was badly needed. So many Rangers needed to get the monkey off their back and get the goals and points flowing after some rough starts to the season. Putting a team to the sword tonight as they did in Detroit was perfect.
Mika Zibanejad had two goals, Barclay Goodrow had a goal and two assists, Adam Fox had a goal and three assists and they are just the three stars. The offense was free-flowing. Two solid periods in the first and second were enough to keep the game within reach. During the first and second, there was not a burst of offense that happened in the third. It wasn’t enough to signal red flags but they were not as dominant as the scoreline suggests.
This win gives the Rangers two badly-needed points in the standings. After improving to 7-5-3 on the year, the Rangers currently occupy the final wild-card spot in the East. There were fears the sky was falling in Manhatten, but that has well and truly been put to bed after tonight. One way to answer all the questions and critics is to make an NHL team look like an ECHL team and that is what that third period was.
Up next on the docket for the Blueshirts is a trip to the Music City. The Rangers will be in Tennessee as the Nashville Predators will be their opponent. If the Rangers can continue the momentum they build in the third period of this game into the start of the Nashville game, perhaps the organization can get back to winning a lot more games than it loses.