New York Rangers Crush the Pittsburgh Penguins in 6-0 Win to Open the Season
The New York Rangers would be the ones to break the ice. A puck in the corner works its way back to the point for Jacob Trouba. The Rangers captain has weighted the world on his shoulders this summer with all the rumors surrounding his future, but he lashes off a shot that is ramped off the ice into the top corner of the net by Sam Carrick. His first goal as a Ranger is the Rangers' first goal of the season.
Sam Carrick became the 2nd fastest to score a goal in his #NYR debut behind only Odie Lowe.
— Stat Boy Steven 🇳🇱 (@StatBoy_Steven) October 10, 2024
Odie Lowe - 1:00
Sam Carrick - 2:24
Lane Lambert - 2:28
Vladimir Tarasenko - 2:49
Joe Jerwa - 3:18
Blaine Stoughton - 3:56 pic.twitter.com/62wZ32yzRY
New York thought they had doubled the lead halfway through the first period. A lost faceoff in the defensive zone was picked up by Kaapo Kakko, who led a rush up the ice. Kakko and Will Cuylle crossed the line, and a perfect feed from the Finn to Cuylle allowed him to snap the puck home. The Rangers thought they had two, but Pittsburgh challenged for offside. Offside challenges tend only to come when the team is 100%, so the goal came off the board. It remained 1-0 despite a promising attack from the Rangers third line.
A gorgeous goal would eventually double the Blueshirts' lead with a beautiful goal from the Quebecois winger. As the Penguins create a scoring chance in the top of the slot, Artemi Panarin lifts the stick to let the puck trickle up the ice, and Alexis Lafreniere picks it up. As he enters the offensive zone, Marcus Pettersson tries to dive to block the shot, but Laffy toe-drags around him so hard Pettersson got up back in Anaheim, and a snapshot through the five-hole of Tristan Jarry doubled the Rangers lead. That is a beautiful goal from the 2020 1st overall pick.
Before the first period's end, another one would be added to the scoreline. Pittsburgh iced the puck, allowing the Rangers to pounce on the mistake. With an injured Anthony Beauvillier struggling to move, the Rangers targetted the open area, and a pass by Reilly Smith set up a blast from Jacob Trouba, which was blocked in front. It dropped down to the body in front of the net. That was, of course, Chris Kreider. From his office, he finds the open net as Jarry was still out of position trying to make the initial save, and it was 3-0 Rangers after one.
Eventually, the Rangers would make it 4-0. It would be the Will Cuylle line that had the disallowed goal in the first. As Cuylle carried the puck up the ice, he fanned on a shot, allowing Filip Chytil to skate behind him and pick up the loose puck. Jarry knocked down the shot, but it trickled in. This gave the Rangers goals by all four lines, a great start to the season, and we're just midway through the second period of game 1. Chytil's first goal since the 2023 playoffs put the Rangers in complete control.
New York would grab a fifth in the third period. While the Penguins were on the powerplay, Kreider wins a race to a loose puck behind Kris Letang. He gets hooked a little but can regather himself and deke past Jarry. It ends up in the back of the next, and the Rangers must add an exclamation mark to this vicious scoreline. Kreider's second goal of the night just puts the cherry on the icing on the cake for opening night.
Vincent Trocheck added a sixth with three minutes left in the game. The Rangers got the puck behind the net to Artemi Panarin, and Panarin found a way to set up Alexis Lafreniere in the slot. The initial shot was stopped, but Trocheck potted the rebound against his hometown team to cement the two points on opening night. A dominant display against the Penguins saw the Blueshirts continue to put their Metropolitan Division rivals to the proverbial sword.
This is the largest margin of victory ever recorded in a Rangers season opener. So, with this destruction from game one, what have we learned about this New York Rangers roster? Remembering that this is only one game, there's much to take from tonight's victory.
Igor Shesterkin Focused On the Present
While contract talks have been ongoing off the ice, Shesterkin showed tonight that he does not care about any of that. He was himself tonight, with no issues with any concentration or focus. We hope to get a resolution regarding his contract in the coming days, but Igor does not want to negotiate while the season is ongoing. Showing that he is entirely focused on what is happening will ensure no one doubts him.
The former Vezina Trophy winner had a shaky start to the 2023-24 season, but he found his footing after the all-star break. When the Rangers netminder rebounded, the Blueshirts started to heat up going into the playoffs. He was a wall as the Rangers could focus on settling into their defensive structure and getting the offense flowing.
Showing his full range of passing, Shesterkin was vital in moving the puck up the ice, particularly on the man-advantage. When the Rangers have Shesterkin behind them, they look like a more complete roster. Having a sixth strong puck-mover on the ice is a significant asset that the Rangers get the luxury of. It's an underrated tool that the Blueshirts' backstop has, and he got to flex both his shot-stopping and his puck movement in this victory tonight.
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Rangers' Depth Scoring Looks Much Improved
Goals from all four lines indicate that a roster's scoring depth is there. It's in a great place, considering the Blueshirt's weapons falling silent have been the cause of elimination from the postseason in the last three seasons. If the players brought in to supplement the depth can do that job thoroughly, the Rangers will enjoy a long postseason.
In particular, the third line looks so much better. Chytil was a significant miss during last season, and coming back to flex his offensive muscle against the Penguins was something everyone involved needed. The fans saw the depth return, Chytil got back in the goal column, and the Rangers got to see a key cog start turning again. He'll need to continue and stay on the ice, but it's a great start.
Sam Carrick becoming the second-fastest Ranger ever to score on his debut indicates that this might mesh well. Fourth-line goals are unreliable, but when the bottom line can add to the scoresheet, the Blueshirts can look at their summer and consider it a success. There's a long way to go, but it's a bright start. Doing this without Jimmy Vesey is a sign that an organization has figured out its depth concerns.
Captain Tuned the Noise Out
Jacob Trouba has disturbed all the headlines this summer. With rumors of the Rangers looking to move on from that contract and get a fresh voice for the leadership group, Trouba responded with a solid performance coming off an underwhelming regular season and a horrific postseason.
Two assists aren't the same as a trademark blast that beats everything on its way into the net, but both of his assists came from that monster shot being deflected or blocked. He was creating chaos in front from a distance, resulting in scoring. Seeing Trouba use that blast shows the Rangers captain looking like they need him to.
He did take a tripping penalty during this game, but he had a good game overall. It's hard to complain about anything in a win as convincing as this one. That pairing with Braden Schneider will be something to watch as the season progresses. The Rangers' defensive concerns may play themselves out.
These Kids Are Alright
Victor Mancini's NHL debut was another powerful takeaway from this game. While he had a great preseason and prospect camp, there were always concerns about whether he could translate it into NHL success. He showed tonight that he has no issues playing at the highest level. That'll be an exciting debate when Lindgren is healthy.
Adam Edstrom was another one who had a strong preseason, but he had a great game on the fourth line. He played in his role well and was not a negative on the roster. You don't need much from a fourth line, but they must be assets rather than negatives. They were that tonight. Eighty-two games of that will not hurt, especially with the pure size that line possesses when we get to the playoffs.
Alexis Lafreniere hanging a defenseman from the rafters by his jockstrap was noteworthy. Will Cuylle had a goal disallowed, Chytil got on the board, and the youth showed tonight that it could replace the current core in due time. While there's still a long way before they can take over from the current guys, strong performances across the lot show much promise moving forward.