After lighting trouble meant that the two teams on the ice had to cope with an extreme difference in brightness at the two ends of the rink, the New York Rangers walked away from this game with two points in the standings. The Rangers got what they wanted with a 4-1 win to kick off this West Coast trip. Two more points to throw into the bank towards the end of the season, but there’s so much more here.
This is the first win of the season for Jonathan Quick as a Ranger. This is the third team in his NHL career he has won a game with, joining the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights. He stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced as he continued to add to his resume. As a player who may have an outside chance at the Hockey Hall of Fame, a return to form for Quick may see him immortalized, but that is a discussion for a different day.
Artemi Panarin helped himself to a couple of goals as the Rangers best forward from the early part of the season continues to show his dominance. Reminding everyone that he is still one of the best forwards in the NHL, Panarin continuing to have strong performances under head coach Peter Laviolette is a strong sign for what will come.
Kaapo Kakko grabbed his first goal of the season. While still one of the underrated Rangers for what he does away from the puck, seeing Kakko rewarded for his hard work is heartwarming as the former second-overall pick continues to try and further his development by succeeding in larger roles. If he can do that, and the Rangers can use their youth to replace their losses, what this roster could do is scary.
Alexis Lafreniere helped himself to a goal in this one which adds to the youth narrative. A special mention to Filip Chytil, who was also amazing in this game but didn’t manage to find the net himself. A youth movement for this Rangers squad seeing their kids rise to the top in team production while still having players like Mika Zibanejad on the back burner, would make this team petrifying to take on.
This improves the Rangers to 3-2 on the season. Next on this vacation out west will be the Calgary Flames. Last time the Rangers played at the Saddledome, it was one of the games of the season so you will not want to miss that one.