The New York Rangers traveled up north and defeated the Ottawa Senators, 4-2. It was a full-length victory, from start to finish.
At 15-12-2, the Rangers are still in the midst of that tight-knit Metropolitan Division. They still sit in seventh position, and the first-place Washington Capitals are just four points ahead.
Let's take a look at the three biggest things to takeaway from this solid win.
Road warriors
With their 12th victory on the road, the Rangers have the most in the NHL. You probably could have guessed that, considering their lack of success at home. If they were not road warriors, this team would be historically bad, and the narrative of this team would be very different.
Can they continue to find success away from home, and more importantly, can they figure out how to translate it to being back on home ice?
Mika Zibanejad going against his roots
Mika Zibanejad was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the 2011 NHL draft. He spent five seasons there, amassing 64 goals and 87 assists in 281 games. He opened the scoring on this highlight reel two-on-one from captain J.T. Miller, and this goal was his 10th of his career against the team that drafted him.
This season has been a breath of fresh air for Zibanejad, and the Rangers are benefitting from it. With 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points, he is on a solid pace this season.
Panarin hits 900 points, still this team's MVP
With a goal and an assist, Artemi Panarin continues to be a point-per-game player with nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 29 games. Even more importantly, he eclipsed the 900 points mark and is steadily approaching the 1000 points milestone.
It has become increasingly evident that Panarin is still this team's Most Valuable Player. He is irreplaceble, and he showed that with his performance against Ottawa.