5 Rapid Takeaways from the Rangers 3-2 Win Over San Jose

With a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, the New York Rangers earned their tenth win of the season following play against the best team in the NHL. Let's break down all the things that went down for the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

San Jose Sharks v New York Rangers
San Jose Sharks v New York Rangers | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
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As a result of Thursday night's 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, the New York Rangers have earned their tenth win of the regular-season.

With eight players tallying points at Madison Square Garden, it seemed the Rangers were finally able to show a more wide range of talent than they have as of late. The second period alone saw the Blueshirts score three times over a span of five minutes. These minutes were critical in helping the Rangers become one of four teams in the Metropolitan Division with 10 or more wins.

The New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals are the three teams in the division who had already hit the double-digit market.

This is the 11th time in team history that the Rangers have reached their 10th win in 15 or fewer games and is the fifth time since the turn of the century.

Let's breakdown exactly how the Rangers got their latest win with five key takeaways from the matchup.

1. The Burning Hot Second Period

The first period did not go in the Rangers' favor, with the Sharks striking first despite entering the match with seven more losses than the Blueshirts. But — as previously mentioned — the Rangers quickly came alive in the second and managed to score a whopping three goals in around five minutes of play.

For the Rangers, their first goal of the night was scored by defenseman Mika Zibanejad. Former New Jersey Devils and current San Jose goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood originally had the save from Adam Fox's shot, but Zibanejad was there for the rebound.

Despite a Fox goal being overturned, less than two minutes after the Rangers' first goal of the night — left winger Jimmy Vesey put up New York 2-1.

The final Rangers' goal of the second period and the night saw Vincent Trocheck score off of a beauty from Artemi Panarin.

Panarin's assist gave him a team-leading 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and means he now has a point in 14 of New York's 15 games so far this campaign.

2. Filip Chytil's Status

Filip Chytil couldn't finish the game following a collision with K'Andre Miller in the second period. While he briefly returned to the Rangers bench afterward, he only took one shift.

Seeing him back on the ice during the Rangers' next game could be critical to see how the rest of the season will play out, with him being a crucial member of the Rangers' roster.

3. A Night of Key Stats

The game was also noteworthy in the statsheet for two rangers. This marked Will Cuylle's 100th career game.

Also noteworthy, Fox would have had his first goal of the season had his second period play not been overturned due to Trocheck knocking out Blackwood's stick moments before the shot.

4. A Weak Close Out

Despite starting on the power-play in the third, the Rangers didnt put any additional points on the board at all throughout the period.

In fact, San Jose's Fabian Zetterlund scored at the 19:33 mark off of a wrist shot.

5. Mika Zibanejad Bounces Back

The first star of the game easily went to Zibanejad, who opened the scoring for the Rangers.

This marked his third goal of the season and also broke his eight game scoreless streak, tying the night at 1-1 with 8:19 left in the period.

With Rangers fans and anyone who watches the league starting to put question marks on Zibanejad's play, his performance couldn't have come at a better time.

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