Rangers silence early doubts with dominant 4-0 win over Sabres

The New York Rangers took their opening night's struggles to heart, and exploded for a 4-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on the road. It was a complete team effort, and fans should take last night's victory as what this team should look like this season, not what was represented in game one.

Let's talk about it.

A long year ahead

This is a long 82-game season, and after the first two games of the year, the Rangers are going to settle in just fine. There are a lot of moving parts, and much of it is brand new.

The consistency will come with each passing game. Head coach Mike Sullivan is going to rally the troops, and once J.T. Miller is able to heal enough to being 100%, the captain will be a crucial part of the success.

That was apparent in the most recent win against Buffalo, as Miller had a goal and an assist in the winning effort. More than that, he looked like he could actually keep up with the other skaters on the ice. But, the injury he sustained in practice is still prevelent.

One thing that has already been established

Goaltender Igor Shesterkin is on fire to start the season. Notching his first shutout of the season, the starting goaltender is off to a great start for the season, in which he will be heavily relied on.

Now entering his prime years, all eyes are on No. 31 to transcend his "Prince" status and become the new "King of New York". The Rangers have always had an identity of being a strong goaltender-first team, and that still remains. Now, with one of the best forward groups and defensive units in a long time, the Blueshirts have a good chance to make some noise this season.

Moving on from the opening night woes

The 4-0 onslaught was a great sign, not only for getting back in the win column, but also in using the opening night disappointment as fuel to get better. The Rangers came out wanting to play better, and wanting to rid the stink of last season's failures, it seems like this team is finally moving in the right direction.

Now, it is onto a rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins, on their ice this time. This is where this team will truly show how much they have grown.