Back in the win column.
On Saturday, Dec. 21, the New York Rangers (now 16-15-1) embarrassed the Dallas Stars (now 19-13-0) in a 3-1 win in Texas. The win for the Rangers came after the traded Kaapo Kakko to Seattle, with Will Borgen making his debut for New York.
With their latest win under their belt, let's analyze five key takeaways from the matchup.
1. A Much Needed Win
The win came for the Rangers when they had previously lost three in a row and five of their last six games. At the time, they were 3-11-0 in their last 14 games.
Clearly, the win couldn't have come at a better time for New York. In fact, until the Rangers on Dec. 20th, no team had killed off 17+ minutes of power play time in a single game without allowing a goal since 2011, per NHL Stats.
2. Captain Kreider
With 2:06 remaining, Chris Kreider scored an empty net goal for the Rangers. The goal was the final one scored of the night — concluding the game with 3-1 on the scoreboard.
The goal was assisted by Will Cuylle and Vincent Trocheck.
Empty net goal for New York!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) December 21, 2024
Scored by Chris Kreider with 02:06 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Will Cuylle and Vincent Trocheck.
Dallas: 1
New York: 3#NYRvsDAL #TexasHockey #NYR pic.twitter.com/2DbTvugZfa
With former captain Trouba officially no longer a Ranger, many are calling for veteran Kreider to be named the next New York captain. And after last night's goal, why not?
3. Rempe Ejected
Matt Rempe has since been offered an in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety. The forward is facing discipline for boarding/elbowing against Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
The date and time of the hearing is to be determined.
The incident occurred at 7:10 of the third period in New York’s 3-1 win at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday. Rempe received a major penalty and game misconduct.
4. Trocheck
Vincent Trocheck served as the Ranger's leader of the Friday night matchup. The Pennsylvania native tallied one goal and one assist across two points and five shots on goal.
He now has 20 points on the season so far, featuring nine goals and 11 assists.
5. Time to Build
As previously mentioned, this win really couldn't have come at a better time for the Rangers. But the thing is, the train needs to keep rolling.
New York's next chance to add another win to their record comes on Sunday, Dec. 22. Puck drop is slated for 12:30 p.m. EST and the game will be available via Fubo and Sling TV.