From Rock Bottom to Redemption: Rangers Silence the Cannon and Save Their Season

Cuylle Hand Luke:

The Rangers flew in the third, and you could feel the urgency. Artemi Panarin's line had a substantial opening shift, and the fourth line followed it up with another good one. It was all Blueshirts early, and they were dictating the pace.

Merzlikins turned away a solid chance from Braden Schneider, but New York kept pressing. Cuylle, who had taken some heat for his defensive lapse earlier, redeemed himself. It wasn't the prettiest goal, but they all count. Cuylle shielded Cole Sillinger with his body as he cut from right to left, let it rip, and with bodies in front, the puck found its way through, deflected in by Urho Vaakanainen (FIN), and they had a well-deserved 3-3 tie.

Six minutes into the period, the Rangers were outshooting Columbus 7-1, en route to a 17-3 onslaught. The momentum was there, but then came a moment that summed up Zibanejad's struggles. Kaliyev forced a turnover, setting up Zibanejad alone in front of Elvis, which was prime scoring territory. Instead of shooting, he tried to pass to Kreider and completely missed the mark. Confidence looks shot. Sweden may have to play the $8.5 million center on the right wing Wednesday week against Canada because carrying a line isn't in the cards right now. When it appeared they were building towards something, the Blueshirts returned to the chaotic, low-percentage passing plays.

New York kept grinding, playing tough, hard-nosed hockey. The fourth line nearly made something happen, with Sam Carrick leading a two-on-one with Rempe, but Merzlikins made a gutsy poke check to deny the setup. With about eight minutes left, the Rangers had to find a way to pull this one out. They had been the better team for most of the game despite giving up three goals, and this was not a night where they could afford to let points slip away.

That's when Cuylle stepped up again. After Trocheck pressured Denton Mateychuk, deflecting the puck down as he tried to clear the defensive zone, Cuylle pounced on the loose puck and sniped it by Merzlikens with 1:39 left, giving the Blueshirts a 4-3 lead. His seven game goal-drought was over, arriving at the most dire time.

The newly-minted 23-year-old and 2020 second-round pick now has a career-high 14 goals on the season. The assist was Trocheck's second of the game giving him confidence as he enters the Four Nations faceoff representing USA alongside JT Miller and the four aforementioned Rangers.

Columbus had one real scare left in them. Fantilli rang one off the post from the slot, but Quick had positioned himself well enough to force him high. Kreider nearly responded right away, whiffing on a golden opportunity before the Rangers hit iron again on the rebound. Shots were 14-2 in favor of New York at this point, and with a two-week break coming up, there was no excuse not to empty the tank.

Things got chaotic in the final minutes. Panarin fired one wide, Jimmy Vesey recovered, and K'Andre Miller had a clean look, but Columbus survived again. Then, Ivan Provorov rang the post, a scramble in front, sticks flying, bodies diving, and somehow, the puck stayed out. Yet when the dust settled, Cuylle stepped up again with a massive defensive play in the dying seconds, shutting down Columbus' last rush, and the Rangers held on for a 4-3 win, a crucial two points.

As if that wasn't good enough, the out-of-town scoreboard delivered even more good news. The Senators lost. The Penguins lost. The Bruins lost. The Red Wings lost. The Islanders lost. The Canadiens lost. And with the Rangers' win over Columbus, that's a four-point swing against seven different teams in the playoff race.

That said, it was another big game, another quiet night from Panarin. Not to exaggerate, but even Rempe was more effective. And if not for some "Will" Power, this one might have ended differently. 75% of the Rangers' goals came from the bottom six. At some point, the stars need to get going. Hopefully, the two-week break will revive those participating in the international fortnight and those on vacation.