Rangers take a big win in Ottawa to stop a three game skid

It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t a classic Rangers performance that harkened back to the days of Ranger dominance. But they won. New York was able to hold on and beat the Ottawa Senators and win the first half of this home-and-home set with the team from the Canadian Capital. Despite being outshot through the most part in the first two periods, the Rangers were able to shut it down and survive the Senators’ relentless chase to get back into this game

Jaroslav Halak finally has his first win as a New York Rangers netminder! His 7th game did it as he is now 1-5-1 on the year. It’s still not an ideal record but it is better than remaining winless. There is not a lot more Halak could have done. At times he got help from his defensemen and they were able to help him keep the puck out of the net. He wasn’t particularly leaky and was able to hold it down for New York.

With the Rangers having snapped their three-game skid, there is a very good chance Gallant will go with this lineup again in New York when the Senators come to Madison Square Garden in a few days’ time. There was a lot to like about this combination. It spreads the wealth of the Rangers well and gives the Blueshirts three genuine scoring threats in their top nine. Combine that with the defensive structure, and there was a winning formula.

Adam Fox did not record a point tonight and that will snap his ridiculous point streak. However, Ryan Lindgren was the straw stirring the drink for the Rangers. Three points and one extremely painful block on the night for the top pairing left defenseman. He was truly spectacular tonight. Almost everything good for the Rangers happened with Lindgren. It’s a really good reminder of how important he is to this lineup.

This win helps the Rangers a ton in the hunt for the playoff places. They are now only outside the playoff places on points percentage. New York needed two points tonight and the Blueshirts got it done. It should be said that between the Capitals, Hurricanes, Penguins, Blue Jackets, and Flyers deciding winning isn’t fun all the time, the Rangers division has been kind to them with the sloppy start to the year.