An incredibly strong third period showing from the New York Rangers on Saturday night paired with the efforts of Will Cuylle resulted in a win for New York at Nationwide Arena.
The Rangers (now 27-24-4) have now won three of their last four matchups ahead of the break in play for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.
Let's breakdown exactly how the Rangers got their latest win with three key takeaways from the matchup.
1. Will Cuylle Saves the Season
In a Metropolitan Division matchup that was an absolute must win for the Rangers as Columbus sitting two spots ahead in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, it was Cuylle, who scored the game-winning goal. The win moved the Rangers to within three points of the second wild card.
COOLS SNAPS IT IN. pic.twitter.com/bJgGizAshz
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 9, 2025
“It’s obviously a long season, there’s ups and downs, but I always try to go into the game with the same mindset,” the 23-year-old Cuylle said postgame. “Just play my game and see what happens. I’m not trying to really think too much if I had a goal last game or if I haven’t scored in five or six games, it is what it is. I just try to go into every game like it’s a new game.”
This also marked Cuylle's second career multi-goal game (Nov. 25, 2024 vs. STL), both coming in the third period, with his second one being the 15th of his season.
2. Third Period Frenzy
The Blueshirts scored twice in the third period to earn the win. According to NHL.com, this gave the Rangers 24 goals in the third period since Jan. 2, tied for the second most in the NHL in that span. On the flip side, the 11 third period goals allowed since Jan. 2 are tied for the third fewest in the league. In their last five games, they have a 9-2 third period differential.
3. Adam Fox Stays Hot
Defenseman Adam Fox recorded the fifth 40-assist season of his career, tying James Patrick for the second most in Rangers' history among defensemen. Brian Leetch current has the lead with 10 such seasons. Fox became the fifth skater – and first defenseman – to record five straight 40-assist seasons with the Rangers and became the fourth U.S-born defenseman in NHL history to post a run of that length.
The New York native has points (1G-3A) in his four consecutive games and eight points (2G-6A) in his last nine games. Fox’s 40 assists this season are the fifth most among NHL defensemen.