After the Rangers power play and penalty kill got out to a shaky start to the calendar year, it seems the Blueshirts have found their special teams groove over the last few contests.
On Thursday Jan. 9, the Rangers welcomed the New Jersey Devils to Madison Square Garden for a rivalry match-up that, based on previous performances this season, seemed to be a recipe for disaster. The Rangers flipped the script, however, taking down the Devils in a 3-2 overtime thriller thanks to an unlikely Sam Carrick goal. Just a few days later the Rangers were in Las Vegas to take on the NHL-leading Golden Knights in a tight competition. Once again, the Blueshirts came out on top in a one-goal victory, this time thanks to an Adam Edstrom redirect.
One of the most important aspects of these momentum building wins for the Rangers has been the coming to life of both the power play and the penalty kill. In their win over New Jersey, the Rangers scored on two of three power play opportunities- good for a 66.6% success rate. Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin both found the back of the net on a power play that looked rejuvenated and effective for the first time in months.
An absolute missile here from Panarin. #NYR pic.twitter.com/9WvjoNrnxi
— Snark Messier (@NYRFanatic) January 10, 2025
In that same contest, the Rangers penalty kill was able to kill-off four Devils power plays, and allow zero goals while at a disadvantage. This prolific play of special teams help contribute to the Rangers outshooting the Devils 32-23, and winning the match-up in dramatic fashion.
When the Rangers traveled to Vegas to play the number one team in the NHL, the power play and the penalty kill would stay hot. The Rangers did allow a power play goal to Vegas' Mark Stone in the second period, but would kill the other two penalties the team took in the game. Just a few minutes after conceding on the penalty kill, the Blueshirts found an equalizer on their only power play of the game. After getting hit with a slap shot from teammate Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck shoveled the puck into the Golden Knights' goal to tie the game at 1-1- before going off the ice in pain.
Vincent Trocheck immediately heads to the locker room after taking a puck to the midsection... and scoring on the backhand 🤕 pic.twitter.com/fEbvTZKKNl
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 12, 2025
Admittedly it's a small sample size, but in their last two games the Rangers have scored on three of four power plays (75%), and have killed off six of seven penalties they've taken (86%). This trend, especially against some of the best teams in the league, has helped the Rangers to a 4-1-1 record in 2025, as well as helping the Blueshirts climb back to a .500 record on the season (20-20-20).
If this trend continues, and if the Rangers truly are turning a corner, there's no reason to believe the Rangers can't claw their way back into the playoff picture in the coming months.