Fansided

The Rangers Wild fall from grace signals defensive depth problem

By Marvin Azrak |
ST PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 13: Kirill Kaprizov #97 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck while Zac Jones #6 of the New York Rangers defends in the second period of the game at Xcel Energy Center on October 13, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Rangers defeated the Wild 7-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 13: Kirill Kaprizov #97 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck while Zac Jones #6 of the New York Rangers defends in the second period of the game at Xcel Energy Center on October 13, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Rangers defeated the Wild 7-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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Discover the key takeaways from the New York Rangers’ thrilling clash with the Minnesota Wild, featuring Quick’s heroics, shootout drama, and their resilience.

It was a night of highs and lows for the New York Rangers as they faced off against the reeling Minnesota  Wild in the State of Hockey at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild were looking to end their four-game losing streak. At the same time, the Rangers needed a morale boost, especially after learning that they would be without defenseman Adam Fox (Lower body injury) and Fillip Chytil (Upper Body injury)  for a few weeks.

Ultimately, Minnesota rallied for a 5-4 shootout victory, snapping the Rangers six-game winning streak. That said, the fact they got a point, considering how they played, feels like a miracle.

A Fast start:

The Rangers didn’t waste time in getting on the board. The new-look fourth line of Jimmy Vesey, Nick Bonino, and Tyler Pitlick contributed with a quick goal. Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to eleven, and Erik Gustafsson added another goal, giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead early in the first period. The three-goal barrage in 3:17 chased Filip Gustafsson from the game.

It wasn’t like the Blueshirts were doing anything unusual, though. Yes, all three goals came at even strength. Minnesota wasn’t being aggressive enough more than New York taking it to them. “I didn’t think we were playing outstanding hockey,” captain Jacob Trouba said of the start.

After Gustafson departed with -2.58 goals saved above expected on the game, bringing his overall mark to -6.7 for the season, in came Rangers nemesis Marc Andre Fleury, and from there, things went downhill. Minnesota played like a team in desperation. They upped their intensity and were relentless on the forecheck. Although they didn’t score on their three first-period power plays, it gave them and the sellout crowd life.

The undermanned Blueshirts were overwhelmed all night, aside from the first seven minutes. That stellar defense the team was known for during their winning streak was nowhere to be found.

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 24: Joel Eriksson Ek #14 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates with teammate Mats Zuccarello #36 after his goal in the third period against the Edmonton Oilers at Xcel Energy Center on October 24, 2023 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Oilers 7-4. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 24: Joel Eriksson Ek #14 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates with teammate Mats Zuccarello #36 after his goal in the third period against the Edmonton Oilers at Xcel Energy Center on October 24, 2023 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Oilers 7-4. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

A Wild turnaround and Kreider’s milestone:

In 29 seconds, Minnesota scored twice in the second period, cutting the Rangers’ lead to 3-2. The Wild’s comeback started with a close call for the Rangers. Jonathan Quick made an initial save on a shot from former Ranger Mats Zuccarello. However, Quick lost his stick, and the puck took a fortunate bounce, hitting the post. Ryan Hartman was in the right place at the right time, cleaning up the rebound and cutting Minnesota’s deficit to 3-1.

Just moments later, the Wild struck again. Joel Eriksson Ek found himself in the perfect position to tap in a goal, further narrowing the gap to 3-2. Quick lost his stick again, and Vincent Trocheck didn’t step up on Brock Faber, allowing him to find his linemate for the tally.

A bright timeout by Blueshirts head coach Peter Laviolette attempted to slow things down. He felt the tide turning, and so did the fans. As it always does, the Wild goal song implores fans to “shout,” and they obliged. It’s the state of hockey. They’re so passionate about the game that even high school tournaments sell out their favorite team’s arena. They’re constantly competitive in college hockey. They demanded top effort from the professionals and weren’t pleased in the first period, booing their team off the ice. Their heroes had responded.

The two rapid goals set the stage for what was to come. The Blueshirts were on their heels for the rest of the contest. Only Quick was why New York stayed alive in front for the rest of the middle frame, as they were outshot 13-5.
The Wild continued their comeback. Zuccarello scored again, and Marco Rossi gave the Wild their first lead of the night with 14:40 remaining.

Yet just when things seemed bleak for the Rangers, Chris Kreider stepped up with a clutch goal. He deflected a shot from Panarin to tie the score at 4-4. The goal meant more, though.  It marked a personal milestone for Kreider, moving him into fourth place on the Blueshirts’ all-time goal-scoring list with tally #273, passing Andy Bathgate. He’s seven shy from tying Adam Graves for third place, which should happen soon. The 32-year-old led the team with eight goals through 11 games. The tally also marked the fourth even-strength tally for the Blueshirts.

Yet just when things seemed bleak for the Rangers, Chris Kreider stepped up with a clutch goal. He deflected a shot from Panarin to tie the score at 4-4. The goal was more than just to connect. It marked a personal milestone for Kreider, moving him into fourth place on the Blueshirts’ all-time goal-scoring list with tally #273, passing Andy Bathgate. He’s seven shy from tying Adam Graves for third place, which should happen soon. The 32-year-old led the team with eight goals through 11 games. The tally also marked the fourth even-strength tally for the Blueshirts.

EDMONTON, CANADA – OCTOBER 26: Jonathan Quick #32 of the New York Rangers watches the play behind the net in the second period against the Edmonton Oilers on October 26, 2023 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Lawrence Scott/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, CANADA – OCTOBER 26: Jonathan Quick #32 of the New York Rangers watches the play behind the net in the second period against the Edmonton Oilers on October 26, 2023 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Lawrence Scott/Getty Images) /

Quick’s heroics steal Rangers a point:

Towards the end of regulation, four Rangers skaters – Braden Schneider, Zac Jones, Vincent Trocheck, and Blake Wheeler – found themselves on the ice for what felt like an eternity. It was a shift that lasted over three minutes. The Rangers were stuck in their zone, and it was like a never-ending penalty kill. The bottom pair of Zac Jones and Braden Schneider struggled all evening long. They were outshot 10-3 when on the ice. It was there where New York missed Fox, their Norris Trophy winner, the most. It’s something they’ll need to learn how to deal with fast.

Yet Quick came to the rescue. He denied Jonas Brodin and Kirill Kaprizov during that chaotic stretch, helped send the game to overtime, and secured a point for New York in the standings. The extra frame wasn’t much better for the Blueshirts, but some crucial stops by Quick sent the game to a shootout. New York was doubled up in the shot count 40-20. The Rangers’ netminder finished the game with 36 saves and a +1.05 goal saved, which was above expected.

Panarin and Zuccarello scored to open the shootout. After Kaprizov and Mika Zibanejad were stopped, Boldy’s shot hit the post, went off Quick’s back, and rolled into the net, giving Minnesota the 2-1 lead. Fleury then made a stretch save on Trocheck to end it, sending the Wild fans into a frenzy. It marked the 65th shootout win for Fleury, the most in NHL history. It was also the 546th win for the 38-year-old, putting him five away from tying Patrick Roy for second on the all-time wins list.

As tough as a loss as this is, it’s one game. The Rangers were just on a six-game heater. They’re still on a seven-game point streak. The focus is now on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. On the bright side, they won’t play in the Central and Western time zones until November 20th in Dallas.

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