New York may not always need to rely on top scorers
Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider both scored, but so did Jimmy Vesey and Matt Rempe. This tells us the Rangers don’t always need to rely on their best players to find the back of the net, at least as far as the First Round is trending. Instead, they can count on a few others not known for their scoring prowess.
Rempe is known more for his hard-nosed play than he is scoring, having logged just one goal in 17 regular season games to go with an eye-popping 71 penalty minutes. Vesey recorded just 26 points and 13 goals in 80 games this season, and he also displays a more physical side.
While we shouldn’t expect Rempe and Vesey to score in every game played in this series, it may be encouraging to some that if the Rangers need a hand from their lower-liners or more in-depth scorers, it’s there.
Further, players like Barclay Goodrow, Jack Roslovic, and Vesey also recorded assists. All of whom recorded bottom-six minutes and scored a total of 46 points in the regular season. If New York’s depth pieces keep this up, Washington will have to worry about four scoring lines, which is a scary thought.